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NEWS: Paramount makes its big post-HD DVD announcement

Andrew Everard Wednesday, February 20, 2008 08:56

sweeeneycut On the day that HD DVD's world imploded, with manufacturers and studios declaring their allegiance to Blu-ray, major HD DVD supporter Paramount made its big announcement that...

...it'll be releasing Sweeney Todd on HD DVD on April 1st.

The movie (left), directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, will be available in a single-disc DVD edition as well as two-disc DVD and HD DVD versions.

Oh, and There Will Be Blood will also be out on HD DVD on the same date.

Beyond that the studio, which famously switched camps from Blu-ray to HD DVD last year amidst rumours of a considerable sweetener having been paid to encourage it to do so, made no further announcements yesterday.

Just like nothing ever happened...

Comments

DLeslie February 20, 2008 09:30

This side-stepping will not help Paramount.

I was a former HD-DVD advocate before it was quite obvious that BD would win. Now, I'm just happy that the war is over - yet it does certainly seem as though there is a high-level of 'wounded-knee' attitude in the ranks of Paramount and Toshiba.

Whatever happened to 'business is business'? Seems to me as though certain senior managers are biding time until their dimissal instead of getting these companies back on track and making money. If I was a shareholder for either of these companies, I would be banging down the door for action.

PiperUK February 20, 2008 10:14

There are still actually thousands of HD-DVD owners remember.

Andrew Everard February 20, 2008 10:18

Yes, but only releasing the movie on a format to suit them, not the millions of people already equipped to play Blu-ray, seems a bit short-sighted in the light of the events of the past day or so.

DLeslie February 20, 2008 11:17

Agreed - supporting HDDVD at this point is only prolonging the inevitable. HDDVD owners should grab as much as they can from the shelves and enjoy what they have while their player holds out.

Andy Grange February 20, 2008 11:31

To be honest I'd imagine they'd be quite the bargain to be had amongst players.

Sure, you won't be getting any future releases, but there must be at least 100 HD DVD titles that you'll be able to snap up relatively inexpensively.

JConx February 20, 2008 11:54

Given the release date, is this for real?

Tony830 February 20, 2008 12:27

APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!!

Andrew Everard February 20, 2008 13:19

It's a Hollywood studio. They don't have a sense of humour.

simon_soton February 21, 2008 10:02

Well they've just [url=www.hollywoodreporter.com/.../e3ic60f3f2e7077b9b8dc969933f25fc601]quietly confirmed[/url] they are going Blu too. Guess they didn't want a press conference to avoid questions that may have made them look foolish for dropping the format less than 6 months ago...

saturday February 21, 2008 19:07

I personally believe the format war is only half over and that Sony had better not be too complacent about it . Sony, if they want to sustain any advantage they have, they will need to mount an aggressive advertisement campaign advocating the advantages of Blu Ray over DVD. How many stores has one walked into t and had a salesperson try to "enlighten you about one or both formats?Me personally? zero.

The progression of bluray as the new format of choice is going to be a slow one as most people may have heard of it but no nothing of what it offers.

I myself own an HDDVD player. Maybe Sony could gain at least 100,000 new "converts," by offering a trade in for their Hd players and films

Nick From Philly February 23, 2008 00:40

Saturday, as far as the war is only have over and DVD being the other opponent you are dead on. 1 down 1 to go.

I am a salesperson and I consider it so WRONG that no one has explained the differences to you. Any customer that comes into my shop and asks about a DVD player are ushered into the BLU RAY section and "enlightened" about the format and the advantages. Even if they still buy a DVD player, they leave KNOWING the advantages of BLU RAY. Plus as a sales person I consider myself a foot soilder in this format war.

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About Andrew Everard

Andrew Everard, Audio Editor of Gramophone since November 1999 and What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision's Consulting Editor, read English at Queens' College, Cambridge a very long time ago! He started his journalistic career in 1982 on Haymarket's photographic magazines, and subsequently worked on What Hi-Fi?, High Fidelity, Audiophile and Home Cinema magazines, as well as contributing a monthly column to Japanese title HiVi.