http://www.dvdtown.com/news/post-gaz...-stay-blu/5133
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By Henning Molbaek
FIRST ONLINE Jan 16, 2008
First, I want to start out by saying that these kind of stories always surface when companies change their focus to favor one technology over another.
No doubt one should walk carefully when these stories surface and not hold them as true, no matter what. So when I find this one interesting it has something to do with what we have heard ourselves through sources inside the companies involved. (No, I will not tell more!) The stories seem to match. Almost too well, one could say.
In the article it is lined out that Warner wanted to go HD DVD only if they could get Fox to do the same. It says, "Obviously, they had decided to change -- they just didn't know the direction. Given their long partnership, Warner gave Toshiba an opportunity to lure a Blu-ray studio to HD DVD, in which case they would go HD DVD exclusive and give HD DVD a clear studio advantage. A deal was nearly secured with Fox, which had been having trouble with Blu-ray disc production due to the lack of manufacturing infrastructure. At the 11th hour, Fox went to Sony with its concerns and received a reported $120 million payout to stay with Blu-ray."
You can read the full article here. Wall Street Journal also had a similar story right after the Warner announcement.
Lastly, I want to make it clear that Warner has denied the payment rumors. So again, please take all this with a grant of salt. If we will ever learn the truth about this or Paramount going HD DVD only is unknown. One thing is sure: one should write a book and sell the movie rights. Perhaps it will be released in Ultra High Definition or as a movie download rental...
http://www.dvdtown.com/news/post-gaz...-stay-blu/5133
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