Apparently, Netflix will not help HD DVD owners nurse their wounds from the format war.
The online rental company just announced that it would soon only rent Blu-ray high-def DVDs. The company says that the decision was based on the shift of the movie studios to back Blu-ray. Until now, Netflix has carried both formats.
According to the announcement, it doesn’t look like Netflix plans to stock any new HD DVD releases. They will also phase out what they currently offer by the end of 2008.
“The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. “We’re now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly. These factors could well lead to another decade of disc-based movie watching as the consumer’s preferred means.”
Netflix also says that while most of its subscribers still rent standard DVDs, the majority of high-def rentals are Blu-ray.
Hey, you stole my name and my HD-DVD player takes for ever to start-up while my PS3 is fast and has no problems with any Blu-ray titles.
I will sell my HD-DVD player and get an upconverting DVD player since they are faster and cheaper. No reason for a HD-DVD player that is inferior to an upconverting DVD player. All my high def movies will be played on the PS3.
Just another case of the best not alway winning. Like the Microsoft/Apple war. HD is cheaper, better color, better upconversion of older DVD’s. BD has the crappy java that locks up all the time. I have owned both formats from the start. Only once has a BD disk played first time out. I would love to never see that three minute screen showing “LOADING” again from those damn BD players. I think Sony learned well from the beta deal and marketed better. But it is NOT a better player.
Actiondvdguy sounds like he is going to cry, haha…i love it!
actiondvdguy’s statement:
“There is plenty of cruddy bluray movies collecting dust that could be money spent on popular new hddvd releases.”
You do realise that Blu-ray titles have been more popular than HD-DVD titles by a 350% margin?
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I’ve never had problems with my Blu-Ray player either…
mda3333,
Perhaps you should consider that not all players are the same. You likely got a broken one or bought it from a bad manufacturer. Sucks to be you…