Colonel-Kurtz

published in this mornings New York Times. This doesnt mean that we should all go running out to buy Sony Stock, but it does represent a major swing in the industry and some long term shareholder returns. Warner Backs Blu-ray, Tilting DVD Battle Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Reprints Share Del.icio.usDiggFacebookNewsvinePermalinkBy BROOKS BARNES Published: January 5, 2008 LOS ANGELES — The high-definition DVD war is all but over. Skip to next paragraph Yuriko Nakao/Reuters With Warner Brothers’ backing, Sony’s Blu-ray high-definition format now has about 70 percent of the DVD market locked up. Related Bits: Did Warner Brothers Just Kill HD DVD?Hollywood’s squabble over which of two technologies will replace standard DVDs skewed in the direction of the Sony Corporation on Friday, with Warner Brothers casting the deciding vote in favor of the company’s Blu-ray discs over the rival format, HD DVD. In some ways, the fight is a replay of the VHS versus Betamax battle of the 1980s. This time, however, the Sony product appears to have prevailed. “The overwhelming industry opinion is that this decides the format battle in favor of Blu-ray,†said Richard Doherty, research director at the Envisioneering Group, a market research firm in Seaford, N.Y. Behind the studio’s decision are industrywide fears about the sagging home entertainment market, which has bruised the movie industry in recent years as piracy, competition from video games and the Internet, and soaring costs have cut into profitability. Analysts predict that domestic DVD sales fell by nearly 3 percent in 2007, partly because of confusion in the marketplace over the various formats. HD DVD, however, is not dead. Two major studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, have deals in place to continue releasing their movies exclusively on HD DVD, as does DreamWorks Animation. Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, will also continue to release its titles on both formats until the end of May. But by supporting Blu-ray, Warner Brothers, the largest player in the $42 billion global home entertainment market, makes it next to impossible for HD DVD to recover the early momentum it achieved. While the specifics of the Blu-ray and HD DVD skirmish might be of interest only to insiders, the consequences of deciding a winner are not. Consumers have been largely sitting on the sidelines, waiting to buy high-definition players until they see which will have the most titles available. Retailers have been complaining about having to devote space to three kinds of DVDs. And the movie business has delayed tapping a lucrative new market worth billions. High-definition discs sell for a 25 percent premium. “Consolidating into one format is something that we felt was necessary for the health of the industry,†Barry M. Meyer, the chief executive of Warner Brothers, said in a telephone interview. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.†In addition to Sony, a consortium of other electronics makers back Blu-ray. For Sony, Warner’s decision is a chance to rewrite history: the company faltered in its introduction of Betamax in the consumer market in the 1980s. Many analysts say the HD DVD players now risk becoming the equivalent of Betamax machines, which died out in large part because it became harder for consumers to find Betamax movies as studios shifted allegiance to VHS. With Warner on board, Blu-ray now has about 70 percent of the market locked up; Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate and, of course, Sony are all on Blu-ray’s team. Warner Brothers has some of the bigger releases in 2008, including “Speed Racer,†the Batman sequel “The Dark Knight†and the sixth Harry Potter installment. “This doesn’t necessarily kill the HD DVD format, but it definitely deals it a severe blow,†said Paul Erickson, an analyst at the NPD Group’s DisplaySearch. “When a consumer asks a store clerk which format to buy, that clerk is now going to have a hard time arguing for HD DVD.†In a prepared statement, Toshiba said it was “quite surprised†and “particularly disappointed†by Warner’s decision. “We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies,†the company said. Universal Pictures declined to comment. Warner Brothers has been courted for months by both sides. Toshiba dispatched Yoshihide Fujii, the executive in charge of its HD DVD business, to the studio three times in recent months, according to Time Warner executives who were granted anonymity because the negotiations were confidential. Sony has aimed even higher: Howard Stringer, the conglomerate’s chief executive, has leaned on Jeffrey Bewkes, the new chief executive of Time Warner. Money was an issue. Toshiba offered to pay Warner Brothers substantial incentives to come down on its side — just as it gave Paramount and DreamWorks Animation a combined $150 million in financial incentives for their business, according to two executives with knowledge of the talks who asked not to be identified. Kevin Tsujihara, president of the Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group, declined to comment on whether any payments were offered for support of Blu-ray. “This market is absolutely critical to our future growth,†he said in a telephone interview. “You couldn’t put a number on that.†For his part, Mr. Meyer said, “We’re not in this for a short-term financial hit.†Which high-definition technology is better has been the subject of intense debate in Hollywood and electronics circles for years. HD DVD players have been much cheaper than Blu-ray machines, but Blu-ray discs have more storage space and more advanced protections against piracy. Both versions deliver sharp resolution. Consumers were inundated with marketing from both sides during the recent holiday season. Wal-Mart, as part of a temporary promotion, offered Toshiba players for under $100. Sony and its retailing partners, including Best Buy, responded by dropping prices on Blu-ray players, although not to the same level. Blu-ray players can now be purchased for under $300. Still, Blu-ray was emerging as a front-runner as early as August. Blu-ray titles have sharply outsold HD DVD offerings — by as much 2 to 1, according to some analysts — and some retailers like Target started stocking only Blu-ray players. Blockbuster said last summer that it would carry Blu-ray exclusively. “We’ve been monitoring the situation with consumers for a while now and they have clearly made their choice,†Mr. Meyer said. “We followed.â€

Socom will have its work cut out for it.. but i am PUMPED for confrontation. COD is great, but i do (in general) find it to be less tactical than socom ever was, even socom 2.

speaking of sore asses.... i think phadox killed me with that pump shotty at least 15 times. focker.

takes a sick man to kill a dog.... bottom line. Im personally a "dog" guy, i have a german shepherd on which ive spent countless hours training in agility, obedience, and tracking. Shes almost ready for competition and companion dog certification. I love that dog as much as any family member, and when i look at her, think of Vick it turns my damn stomach. Now, WITH THAT SAID, i would not like seeing him in the NFL, but it is a bit ironic how quickly his case was expedited (from the raid on the kennel to actual conviction/sentencing) in only 7 months when it can take years to close a federal case on other more serious felonys.

No problem. Tow posted up screenshots of the Crucible rules, so we can just pick a game type and run it based on that. I gotta say the longer COD battles based on these scenarios are VERY fun. The trick is to have every very quiet when the game launches so the clan leaders can determine "OK OGC is Spetsnz and \H/ is SAS" etc.

If there are any clans that would like to schedule a run through of COD in a scrimmage let me know. Its great to get a feel of what the actual wars will feel like and practice what i find to be the most challenging aspect of COD- Mic Discipline within your team. ODC and OGC battled it out last night- was lots of fun and we would love to find some other UF clans on the battlefield before the real WARS begin! PSN- Kurtz18

the 2nd one is ridiculous... We are now accepting applications for "Special Delta" LOL

here ya go.... keep in mind this is what... 5 years ago? I still get a kick out of it.... sixx did a nice job with it. the background goes a little like this. Bob was the one guy in the clan we ALLLL picked on, and yeah, i have a pretty thick NY accent so the vid is taking a few shots at my expense as well.

Whats shakin! So i know ODC already has some troops in COD (forest is already trying to throw down a war with us over on our forums) , how about 101?

Thanks for the words fellas---- hope to see some of yas on the battlefield soon enough.

Its been a long while since many of you have last seen OGC on and about the UF community, and as our leader I cant say how pleased we are to be back. Many of you know me, and many of you know OGC and the manner in which we last left the community, which was far from complimentary and quite frankly, out of character for many of us. OGC has seen considerable change, growth, and some significant personnel improvements over the past several months. A group should never be judged on the actions of one or two members, and we appreciate being granted the opportunity to clear the air, get back to basics, and prove ourselves the adult gaming clan that we truly are. Additionally- we are pleased to say that we now have 18 full time Call Of Duty players and have begun the slow transition into a full-time COD clan. With that said, I have been exchanging emails with Undertow over the past several days, and he and Sniper have agreed to give OGC a second chance in the UF community and allow our application to UF- Crucible. All three of us agreed that we are all adults here, and any BS that occured is exactly that.... BS, and in the past. Like I always say, we all reserve the right to get smarter! I initially came to Sniper and Tow with the hopes of gaining a clean slate with the community, letting bygones be bygones, and they agreed to this based on my word. I stand by my word, and I have taken it upon myself to make amends for the past, and hold OGC to the highest standards of conduct in the future, both within and outside this community. Period. No exceptions. Based on this, we have been granted a clean slate. We know whats at stake here. A lot of you have played along side me on the battlefields of Socom:CA, and know the type of person I am. Tow and Sniper took me on my word, I hope you all will too. Call Of Duty is a great game, but anyone that has played it knows that it does not provide that excellent lobby system that Socom does, and UF will become even more increasingly important in maintaining alliances and friendships with other clans- which OGC has learned to value through our past experiences. Not only that, but fellas lets face it- these guys put on one helluva Tourney, and we would LOVE to get in on the action with COD!! We've tried other waters, participated in other tourneys and perhaps in hindsight the past few months have been a good thing. Its become quite obvious to me that UF is where the best clans are and where the future is. So, I'll hop off the soap box, and look forward to trying to survive the crucible.