Disney's Bob Iger on Blu-ray and senseless wars
by Nick Doerr 
{ May 14th 2007 at 3:00PM }
During a quarterly analyst call, Disney's Bob Iger spoke out in support of the Blu-ray format over the competition. This is kinda special because Disney tends to keep its mouth shut when it comes to business-oriented, well, business. To see they're supporting Blu-ray is a tremendous thumbs-up for all of the HD movie enthusiasts.When asked if he's consider releasing Disney films on both formats, he gave a lengthy response. While the entire transcript is very interesting, we've singled out what we think is the crux of his spiel: "I think the single greatest thing we can do right now is to not waffle, but to be very, very blunt about it, to continue our support of Blu-ray because we sense a real advantage. The best thing that could happen is for the format war to end, which will be very pro-consumer, particularly as hardware comes down."
Iger expects retailers to weigh in this holiday season as they fill their shelves with a perceived "winner" in this "war" that doesn't actually matter yet. Along with that, he believes that there will be strong price drops in standalone players, helping to bring the format to the masses. So, if the standalone players drop to cheaper than a PS3, why would the PS3 cut its price? It's a player plus other stuff, right? Logically, it should stay where it is, but businessly (no, it's not a word, deal with it) it might have to drop as well. We'll see.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
superhookie @ May 14th 2007 3:37PM
Don't forget that Steve Jobs is on the Disney board. Apple is a Blu-Ray backer. Makes sense.
Time @ May 14th 2007 3:49PM
Lets see how long it takes before we get swarms of fanbots yelling "blu-ray is still going to fail because sony suxxros!!11!@3!" and lets not forget the "it doesn't matter, in 6 months everyone will be downloading everything into their fat asses"
Askzander @ May 14th 2007 4:25PM
This guy is a total moron. Then again, everyone at Disney has their issues. If there is no competition, that is a very BAD thing for the consumer. Why is this even posted on this site, though? I mean, it's not like any human would willingly watch a Disney movie. Frankly, I'd rather have my nose cut off and force-fed to me...
[edited by NickyD -- come on, your own nose? That'd be awful. I wonder what my stomach would smell like, though...]
Time @ May 14th 2007 4:35PM
@Askzander
WOW...dude..it's ok...everything is going to be ok
Joe @ May 14th 2007 4:33PM
Askzander not every Disney movie is made for little kids some are more mature. I for one am looking forward to the Pirate movies plus some from Disneys past. So just because you do not like them does not mean every one else feels the same way.
Also I hope some one takes off Zander message. I like this site I do not need to see volger things when I coem here.
yomanDS @ May 14th 2007 5:03PM
Come on people, it doesn't matter, in 6 months everyone will be downloading everything into their fat asses...and I don't even know what that even means.
theassman @ May 14th 2007 9:27PM
*passes a box of tissues to Joe* - dont worry your precious little mind will recover from the vulgarity. Welcome to the real world !
ck @ May 14th 2007 6:11PM
"Along with that, he believes that there will be strong price drops in standalone players, helping to bring the format to the masses."
But the players won't be affordable for another 12 years!! Oh, wait...
kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 6:31PM
Pirates trilogy aren't exactly for kids only. That movie is going to be HUGE this year. and I would assume that Spidy 3 will only be for Blu-Ray? ;)
I wonder what the next data Toshiba will use to justify HD-DVD's suffering. "We are still winning on Standalone players with size under 2 feet and weight under 6 lb"
Popfrogs @ May 14th 2007 6:47PM
Another nail in the HD-DVD coffin. I'm surprised Toshiba hasn't just thrown in the towel.
Betamax, indeed. We'll know it's dead and buried when Microsoft releases a BR disc peripheral for the X360.
Wonderflex @ May 14th 2007 6:52PM
"If there is no competition, that is a very BAD thing for the consumer."
Like how bad VHS, and DVD was?
kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 7:19PM
>Like how bad VHS, and DVD was?
Not to mention music CDs. horrible for the consumers. Floppy drives in the 90s and now USB drives ;)
Ian @ May 15th 2007 12:52PM
@Wonderflex,
VHS had competition called "Betamax", and DVD had competitors in LaserDisc and DivX.
Ironically, Disney was originally a full supporter of the failed DivX technology, choosing that format over the eventual winner....DVD.
Apparently Disney is able to choose the wrong format at first, and eventually switch over to the winner! :)
Geoff Gibson @ May 14th 2007 7:34PM
@ Popfrogs
Forgive me but how is this another nail in HD DVDs coffin? Disney has always been Blu Ray exclusive, nothing has changed because somebody from Disney said they will remain that way.
To be honest I hate this format war. It is nothing but smoke and mirrors with a hell of a lot of rumours thrown in between to make some big fat corporations a whole shitload of money. Consumers don't know what to choose and neither do I. And then top top it off the big companies have dragged gamers into the mix co-opting them with brand loyalty. Xbox fanboys obviously praise HD DVD where as PS3 fanboys obviously praise Blu Ray. So now instead of it just being Xbox vs. PS3 vs. Nintendo we now have:
Xbox + HD DVD vs. PS3 + Blu Ray vs. Nintendo + x(y)
It has turned into a damn algebraic equation! How screwed up is that? I liked my games pre-format war a hellofalot more. Now everything is getting so complicated.
Oh and GOD F***ING FORBID there be a PS3 lover who doesn't bend over backwards for Blu Ray. I am sure I'll get more than one flame sent at me for this comment.
kingofwale @ May 14th 2007 8:21PM
>Xbox + HD DVD vs. PS3 + Blu Ray vs. Nintendo + x(y)
It should be more like:
xbox + HD DVD vs PS3 vs Nintendo + Standalone CD player + Standalone DVD player
Geoff Gibson @ May 14th 2007 10:02PM
@ kingofwale
Xbox + HD DVD vs. PS3 + Blu Ray vs. Nintendo +x(y) was correct in my own mathematical equation, I think.
The x(y) is for whether or not any of them prefer one or another times whichever they chose, if they did so choose. F.E. Nintendo Xbox360(HD DVD), which would add an extra "point" for HD DVD if that so were the case.
There really isn't any true mathematics behind my equation, it was just used to illustrate the obviously frustrating series of events.
Tahiri @ May 15th 2007 1:15AM
"i don't see a real difference between the two movie formats. they both use a blue laser. but i guess the advantage disney guy is talking about is the more attractive name/logo that blu-ray supports..."
That and HD DVD is 15 GB/layer and can support up to 3 layers, Bluray is 25 GB/layer and can support up to 8 layers, and Bluray has much stronger scratch protection. Bluray also has better audio, and enough space to leave a reduced resolution version of the movie for portable devices such as ipods and PSPs.
Next-Gen-Gamer @ May 15th 2007 5:26AM
"DVD had competitors in LaserDisc and DivX."
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. LaserDisc has been around for a long time. It had already flopped before the 90s came around. As for DivX, you're wrong again. There's a difference between DivX and DIVX. The one you mentioned is a format used when ripping DVDs. DIVX was an insignificant crackpot creation from Circuit City that amounted to nothing.
MRBlue @ May 15th 2007 11:28AM
The reason this is such a big deal is because Disney hasn't released any really big films on Blu-Ray just yet. The first two Pirate films are coming out on May 22nd to conicide with the upcoming third film. The two marketing campiagns combined should get HD-DVD owners worried.
I would imagine that most of the public is oblivious to the format war but when they start seeing ads for "Cars", the Pirate Trilogy, and other Disney classics they'll start to take notice. I'm already seeing commercials for Blu-Ray during primetime shows.
The other day I saw and ad for a movie (can't recall the title) that said, "Coming to Blu-Ray and DVD disc [insert date]". Normally it's DVD THEN Blu-Ray but in this case it put it first. I take that as a major sign that the format could be catching on (to some extent) since the more popular format (in this case DVD) is mentioned second rather than first. The same happened during the DVD explosion. "Coming to video and DVD this summer". The word "video" (implying VHS) went from first, to second, and now...
As for MS, Peter Moore he's already stated that the future of HD-DVD is looking "bleak" (his words) and that there could be add-on Blu-Ray player for the 360. While it may not be the proverbial nail-in-the-coffin it does, at the very least, imply that Toshiba should start shopping for a black dress.
Geoff Gibson @ May 15th 2007 1:38PM
@ MrBlue
Ummm actually I just saw a commercial the other day for The Good Sheppard that said "Available on HD DVD and DVD now!" I am not seeing the significance in that. Wow this title is in HD DVD...but not Blu Ray? Oh! But this title is in Blu Ray...but not HD DVD?
How fucked up is this shit? We, obviously know this crap because MS and Sony have shoved it down our throats with the video game consoles + add-ons, but the average consumer...the moms, dads, grandmothers, and grandfathers who don't play videogames (which might I add is still the majority of tha population) don't know what this is, and probably won't understand it when they do find out what it is.
As soon as my internet reaches 5 megs/sec download speed (its at 1.5/second currently with cable) I am jumping onto digi-distribution. Maybe Vongo if they release them in HD. I figure thats maybe a year away...I know some cities like Portland, OR are upto about 3/second now.