Disney going HD neutral? IMDB says yes, we say no [UPDATE]

by Jem Alexander { May 31st 2007 at 8:00PM }

Those of you desperate for a HD DVD copy of Badder Santa: The Unrated Version are likely in for a bit of a disappointment. Though IMBD clearly states that the film, published by Disney, will be released on Blu-Ray, HD DVD and DVD, those of us with our eyes on the HD format war know that Disney remains a staunch exclusive Blu-Ray supporter.

We sound pretty certain that this isn't the start of Disney defecting over to the Dark-Red Side (HD DVD, in case you need it spelling out), don't we? How can we be so sure? Well the Sony Protection Group said it well enough themselves, but we'll paraphrase.

Two weeks ago the head of Disney extolled the virtues of the Blu-Ray disc. He gave reasons why it will win the format war and so why Disney will be supporting it with its huge archive of film content and upcoming releases. It would seem strange, then, that so soon after saying all of this the company would suddenly change their release philosophy - and especially without sending out some sort of press release stating this fact. If this was the case, however, it is safe to assume that a revelation such as this would warrant more than just one line in a news blurb, without any elaboration. Stranger still, most other sites have this release pegged for Blu-Ray only. Because of all this we can safely say that we firmly believe this to be an error on IMDB's behalf.

To be honest, though, we'd rather this particular film wasn't coming to either format. It's not exactly on our top 100 most anticipated High Definition releases.

[Via PS3Forums]

[UPDATE] It looks like we got our wish. Badder Santa will not be released on either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD according to HiDef Digest. Disney have also reaffirmed that they have no plans to support the HD-DVD format. We told you so.

Tags: blu ray, BluRay, disney, hd dvd, HdDvd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

kingofwale @ May 31st 2007 8:18PM

with Spiderman 3 and Pirates coming to Blu-Ray only by the end of the year. the war is about to wrap up

deftblue @ May 31st 2007 8:30PM

Unfortunately for all HD format fans or Bad Santa fans, the movie has been canceled for the next gen format king.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Disney/Disney_Says_No_to_Lost,_Badder_Santa_on_Blu-ray/671

lenny0487 @ Jun 1st 2007 9:50AM

this has been confirmed since as of earlier today. anyway, theres no point for disney to jump ship, BD has an advantage, not a big one, but it has one, it has better disc sales than HD-DVD

Gamble20 @ May 31st 2007 9:15PM

not only Spiderman and Pirates...

if Lucas ever decideds to put Star Wars on HD, it would be distributed by 20th century...a Blu-Ray exclusive

kingofwale @ May 31st 2007 9:19PM

Correct me if I'm wrong here, isn't WB the only studio currently exclusively for HD-DVD?

if so, why aren't Harry Potter series on HD DVD exclusively? that would make an interesting war.

TheGuy @ May 31st 2007 9:31PM

@4

No, the only exclusive major movie studio (yes, I'm taking into account the Weinstein Company) left for HD DVD is Universal. WB is neutral, but some of their recent movie releases have been slightly better on HD-DVD due to 2-layer HD DVD disk having more room than 1-layer Blu-Ray disk (WB hasn't been releasing Blu-Ray movies on 2-layer disks yet).

massive_98 @ May 31st 2007 10:12PM

Its too bad Universal makes my favourite movie of all time. Gladiator

Disney should release some of their tv shows on Blu-Ray.

Who wouldn't want all four seasons of Kim Possible on Blu-Ray? (dont tell me they wont fit because they will)

Gunegune @ May 31st 2007 11:14PM

I'm glad Disney is still staying exclusive. The only way for this format war to end is for all major movie studios to support one format (they don't have to all be exclusive but it helps). The only studio holding the end of this format war back is Universal (though, Blu-ray has the support of the Universal Music Group). If they were to distribute on Blu-ray, then we could finally have the definite format to buy and consumers could benefit even more rather than wasting there money on a format that may not be the victor in this pointless format war.

It's much harder for HD-DVD to win since they would have to have the exclusive supporters of Blu-ray release on their format also. Those studios include: Sony (good luck), MGM (Sony now owns a major part of MGM), Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, and Disney (we know where they stand).

Thank you Disney. Blu-ray thanks you, and the World thanks you (or they might in a few years, who knows?).

Killer @ May 31st 2007 11:58PM

@Gamble20

Yet agian. Star Wars. LMFAO! It's George Lucas! He hates new formats. He didn't believe in releasing Star Wars on DVD. He hates going back and a tuning his films. It took him forever to release the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. So why do people think he'll decide to go with formats that have yet to win anything? In fact I remember him saying something about the HD formats. If I do recall somewhere he stated that He doesn't think that HD is that important to his movies. He isn't going to so stop wishing on both sides.

@Massive_98

A cartoon in HD. Hmmmm. Well seeing that NO american based cartoon has been ever turned into HD on disc. (The south park episode doesn't count.) It's a pretty risky move by anyone. One: No one buys Blu-ray with the idea of watching cartoons on it. Two: The only small bit is that it looks a little clear, which doesn't justify anyone going out and buying (insert disney cartoon/moive: EX:Snow White) agian for more money. Besides a cartoon is a cartoon. You're not interested in the picture of the show, you're interested in the story line or the humor.

Back to topic:

It's funny how everyone here believes that one format will die. Even though the market is perfectly stable to have more then one format. Personally, I think both formats will survive. So, in 10 years. Everyone here will still be saying after every new release; "This is going to make HD DVD fail!". While everyone else has there dual-players enjoying every movie, without even caring which format has more support or more space, because the true point of these formats is never about space (even though it seems like it has turned out that way with the minds of the Blu-ray crowd) Its about making movies in 1080p. Guess what? They both do it, extremely well (equal no less). I'm not buying a new format over dvd because of how much space it can hold. I'm buying it for the HD. If I wanted a large amount of space, I would use an F-ing harddrive.

Killer @ Jun 1st 2007 12:03AM

Proof of George Lucas: http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/25/19925.php

Se7enwolf @ Jun 1st 2007 12:11AM

imdb.com has a very bad track record of getting things right plus their ratings of movies suck. Thats canadians for you.

Lp47 @ Jun 1st 2007 1:56AM

Good, nice to see big companies only support the best Hd format out there... Blu-ray.

infinitespecter @ Jun 1st 2007 3:52AM

@ Killer

Riiiight, so this Marvel Ultimate Avengers BluRay movie I have must be, what, Japanese?

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 12:35PM

@Killer

Interesting you suggesting that Lucas made these statements rather than a company spokesman. Also, bear in mind that Lucas is one of THE major driving forces in the adoption and use of HD in film, so your suggestions that he doesn't like "new formats" is so far off the mark as to be embarrassing. As for what format THE TRILOGY would be released on, it's not up to the filmmaker, it's up to the distribution, 20th Century Fox. So, if it's released in an HD format, it would be Blu-ray.

As pointed out by infinitespecter, there is at least one cartoon on the format, so it would appear you don't really know what it is that you are talking about.

As for the ten year speculation. Your assumptions are wrong in so many ways. There isn't room for two competing formats in this market and most people in the world aren't going to go and buy an unapproved piece of hardware from China to playback both formats on one device. What do they do about the regular firmware updates? Other than the questionable hybrid players, not too many are going to be willing to own two devices to accomplish essentially the same task.

massive_98 @ Jun 1st 2007 1:39PM

DVD players didn't sell well when they were first introduceced. Once HD-TV's and Blu-ray players become cheaper they will sell.

I don't notice much difference between Blu-ray and DVD with my tv. The difference with VHS and DVD was way more noticeable

I don't care if the picture looks better for my fav cartoon (Kim Possible) but all I want is to have all four seasons on ONE DISC!

Thats why I want more TV shows on Blu-Ray because they will only need one disc.

Killer @ Jun 1st 2007 2:02PM

@theDude

Obviviously, you don't know the relationship Lucas has with 20th Century fox. He only gave them the right to release the movie in theaters and allowed the studio to keep the profits (while he keep the merchandise rights and distribution of the movie after it was done in theathers.) Lucas releases his movies on a different format when he feels like it. Since he stated HIMSELF, that he doesn't like either HD DVD or Blu-ray and that Digital Distribution is the next big format. You won't be seeing Star Wars on Blu-ray or HD DVD for a very long time, maybe never. For 20th Century to release the movies, they would have to get the approval of Lucas himself. (shows you how much you understand about the agreements lucas has.)

Also, the market can't handle two formats? Really? So I guess the DVD-RW and DVD+RW is a fluk. The market hates format wars. People would rather have two (one at the start would have been nice too, but that didn't happen)formats then to go out and spend money on a format that might lose. People are fed up with this crap. No one wants to lose money in today's market. (It's too late now just to kill off the other, because they both have a base.) The only reason that you (and so many others on both sides of this war) say that the market can't hold up to two formats is that deep in your minds you don't want to go buy another device to play the movies that can't be played on the Blu-ray player or HD DVD player. I also love your outlook on the future. You look at the LG combo as if that's all they can do. Bullcrap! Technology always has more to it. So don't worry about the firmware updates. (which by the way is the dumbest idea ever.) The normal average consumer will hate the idea of having to connect another device to the internet for movies no less. Also not everyone has internet. So what good will the firmware updates do for them?

I will say that I was wrong with Cartoon part. That sort of shows you how much people really care about Cartoons in HD though. Since I never even heard of it being on Blu-ray.

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 2:06PM

@massive_98

The point of Blu-ray and HD-DVD is not currently to fit more lower quality video on one disc, it's currently to place high-def video on multiple discs.

Take HBO and the Sopranos for an example. Part 1 of the sixth season of Sopranos is out on Blu-ray and HD-DVD and it's on the same number of discs that the standard-def version comes on. It's about improved quality, not quantity as far as the studios are currently concerned. So, don't hold your breath for a whole season of Kim Possible on one disc, it's not going to happen for some time.

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 2:40PM

@Killer

Please, provide a link to your quotes as you haven't done so thus far. I've never seen anything from Lucas himself claiming he doesn't like the new tech, as you suggest.

Both of those burnable media formats are DVD. They're not differing formats, regardless of how you burn your DVD you can play it on (nearly) any DVD player out there because it's one format, works the exact same way with CD. The DVD or CD you burn uses the same codecs and parameters as any other CD or DVD. BD and HD-DVD do not share many software codecs/formats and aren't compatible.

I believe that I stated that people aren't willing to have two dedicated devices to do essentially the same job. This isn't something "deep in my mind". It's something practical and realistic that most people would and do agree with.

The firmware updates are a fact of life with the new devices. Too bad if you don't like it. In order to play back the newest releases, you need the updates. How do Sony and the rest of the world provide firmware updates for hardware like the PS3 if the end user isn't connected to the internet? They make hard copies available. Silly complaint as it's been addressed since the inception of the internet.

The fact that that cartoons/movies have been out since April doesn't reflect on public interest or desire, it merely shows that you're not as on top of things as you believe you are. The only thing that comes out of it is that your absolute understanding is called into question, as with all of your statements about it are obviously completely wrong.

Killer @ Jun 1st 2007 3:45PM

@theDude

Look at comment #9. I'm still trying to figure how you over looked that.

Killer @ Jun 1st 2007 3:48PM

If your still not convinced about Lucas not caring, just look it up yourself. Since, I really don't want to spend all my day looking through the millions on Star Wars articles.

Killer @ Jun 1st 2007 4:07PM

Since April? So two months. Yet I have never seen one single promotion for it? I do keep up with things, but this strangely flew under the spot light. The only ones I have heard of is several japanese cartoon/movies. So credibility has nothing to do with it. It's called poor promotion of product/ lack of interest in my part, becuase like 95% of the population, I Don't care. It's a cartoon.

Also you know what is truely simplistic? It's called a dual combo player. One device for both formats. It is the most simplistic and most beneifical to the consumer. By consumer I mean the low 5% of the population that even knows about this war, and the 3% that actually care about it. Like Beaudry stated. As long as the dvd player is $20 dollars and can up covert movies up to 1080i closeness. What is truely the point? No one is going to care, unless all the companies decide to stop making the dvd play all together. Which would garrantee alot of pissed of consumers, because they don't feel as they should have to buy the same movie over agian. Which is completely agreed upon. Why should you? This isn't VHS to DVD, or records to casettes, or casettes to cds. To the average consumer, these formats only offer a small advantage over the dvd. So why spend another 20 or 30 dollars on a movie you already bought?

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 4:27PM

@Killer

I did, it has no quotes from George Lucas. The original article, at DVDTown, has quoted statements from John Singh, a Lucasfilm Ltd. spokesperson, but nothing from Lucas.

The comments made in the MovieWeb article aren't quotes and they make no direct reference to where they got their claims about his position. I've never seen any interviews with GL supporting their article. Just because they posted it, doesn't make it any more true than you or myself claiming it's true. Without the actual quotes in context you can't assume that those are true statements.

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 4:50PM

@Killer

I didn't overlook it. That "article" has no quotes from George Lucas. The original article, at DVDTown, has quoted statements from John Singh, a Lucasfilm Ltd. spokesperson, but nothing from Lucas. The original PCWorld blog entry doesn't mention it either.

The comments made in the MovieWeb article aren't quotes and they make no direct reference to where they got their claims about his position. I've never seen any interviews with George Lucas supporting their article. Just because they posted it, doesn't make it any more true than if you or myself were to claim that it's true. Without the actual quotes in context you can't assume that those are true statements.

Hi-DefDigest talks about how he took his sweet time with the move to DVD, but nothing about how he doesn't like the new formats. http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644

The original blog posting by PCWorld also doesn't make any comments about Lucas disliking the new formats.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/004363.html

The MovieWeb site is the only place that I can find any reference to Lucas and the next-gen formats and there's nothing there to back up the claims made. It's not a quote, it's just a statement presented as fact with nothing to back it up. Just because somebody takes it upon themselves to say somebody said something doesn't necessarily make it so.

The only thing that's for certain, is that Lucasfilm has no plans to put out THE TRILOGY on any next-gen optical format at this time.

theDude @ Jun 1st 2007 4:50PM

@Killer

Until both camps settle on making a dual-purpose player, it doesn't matter. As I pointed out, without the approval of both camps the firmware updates are going to be an issue. LG isn't going to be able to legitimately support both formats without the firmware updates which are supposed to be based on the approval by both groups. They've circumvented the two groups that matter in order to put out a device that will have questionable future support.