Quoting stefc:

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Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

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With a BD player I will still receive support from Sony Pictures (probably MGM and Fox as well) for Blu-ray movies like UMD is receiving now.  In fact, partly due to the continued support of UMDs, it is making a comeback in sales for catalog titles.  Blu-ray is the safest bet all the way 'round for HD discs whether HD optical dies or not.

You get increasingly desperate with each and every post. Trying to claim that BD is the safest bet because of some Sony releases if both formats die? WHY WOULD ANYONE BE HAPPY TO HAVE INVESTED IN A DEAD FORMAT?

Desperate is for the people mentally and/or physically supporting the format that is losing.  Since that does not fit Blu-ray (which I support), I don't fit the definition of desperate.  Moving on...

It's not about be happy to invest in a dead format.  You completely turned in the wrong direction.  It's about the COMFORT FACTOR.  Think of it this way.  Does Toshiba or Microsoft own ANY movie studios?  That means HD DVD owners would not have a single new release to look forward to on their format.

Sony owns STUDIOS (Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, MGM/UA, TriStar, etc.).  With the amount of people that will probably own a PS3, they can sell AT LEAST those titles to Blu-ray owners.  In the HIGHLY UNLIKELY case that Blu-ray loses the format war, Fox might even continue to support Blu-ray due to the install base and security.  That would be WAY MORE movie market share than Universal and Paramount generally have in ANY given year COMBINED.  So, actually, that would still mean CO-EXISTENCE to a certain extent.  So, format death is really not an option for Blu-ray.  They will have the PC market, the PS3 gaming market, AND the PS3/ BD standalone market.

Like I said, Blu-ray is the safest format to have.

As a add-on to this post, UMD movies were never meant to compete against DVD.  It is meant for PSP owners ONLY.  Therefore, it never was competing against anything to fail.  UMD movies will exist as long as Sony says it will (probably the life of the PSP).

Quoting FunkyLA:

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Star Trek HD??

Free Phaser remote - maybe

Read here

Yeah, I saw that last night.  It made me    Look at that thing.  They should have just taken another $10 off the price tag.

Quoting FunkyLA:

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Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

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Quoting FunkyLA:

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Star Trek HD??

Free Phaser remote - maybe

Read here

Yeah, I saw that last night.  It made me    Look at that thing.  They should have just taken another $10 off the price tag.

Another $50 off - this is waaaay overpriced

But you're getting it in HD and SD 

I'd be all over that Trek release if the price were better.  But I really can't justify it for $138 (Amazon).  I've waited this long, I can wait some more.

The phaser remote is very cool, although I'd look at it for a few minutes, laugh at it and throw it in the closet with all my other remotes.  But you have to not only buy Trek, but an HD DVD player with it at the same time.

On the other hand, I did pay ~$65 for Heroes on HD. Maybe I'll get it for Christmas.

Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:

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Quoting JP_S:

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From what I know about UMD is that a couple off movies were released and that was it, at least here. Now you won't be able to get a UMD movie...

UMD movies are still coming out for PSP owners.  At E3 '07, they demo'ed the Spiderman movie on a projector via the PSP Slim.  They were letting people know they could output high quality UMDs on their TVs now via the new PSP Slim.  The movies are definitely around.

In the US, they are at Fry's Electronics, EB Games/Game Stop, Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.  All the top retailers are covered.

A_S, we know you get all your "facts" from Berlin, er, Sony HQ .... but something outside the company line once and awhile .....

like this article from March of this year:

http://ps2.gamespy.com/articles/699/699388p1.html

Sony UMD Movies Face Extinction
Hollywood studios and retailers are withdrawing their support for Sony's UMD format, as sales have seen a drastic decline.

By GameSpy Staff | March 30, 2006

At least two major film studios have reportedly pulled support for Sony's proprietary Universal Media Disc format, and retailers may soon follow suit. Reuters has reported that while Wal-Mart representatives have declined comment that the retailer is getting out of the UMD business, studio sources state that such a move is imminent.

GameSpy contacted several retailers today, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target for details regarding a reported UMD inventory shrinkage. Department managers at the contacted retail locations stated that there are no plans for drastic changes to their UMD inventory. One Wal-Mart department manager stated that there have been no communications from Wal-Mart corporate regarding the UMD business, and that their release schedule shows the chain still supporting the format for the foreseeable future.

However, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Pictures have reportedly completely halted the production of UMD movies. One high-ranking Universal executive stated that "It's awful. Sales are near zilch. It's another Sony bomb -- like Blu-ray."

This comment comes after Sony vowed this Wednesday to adhere to the announced May 23 street date for the studio's first Blu-ray format movies, despite reports that the hardware needed to play this format won't arrive in the U.S. until next month at the earliest.

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment spokesperson Brenda Ciccone commented on the UMD business, stating that the studio will "continue to evaluate the PSP platform for each title, and if it makes sense for business reasons and the target audience, we will release them." She went on to say that their focus is "much more aimed at high-definition (HD) at the moment."

One high-ranking executive with Paramount was more direct, stating that "We are on hiatus with the UMD. Releasing titles on UMD is the exception rather than the rule. No one's even breaking even on them."


and you say UMD's are available at Target???  Interesting since Target DISCONTINUED UMD movies over one year ago

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/target-discontinues-umd-movies/


Target Discontinues UMD movies

by Ludwig Kietzmann Jul 12th 2006 10:15PM
Filed under: Portable, Sony PSP

With dwindling Hollywood support and anemic sales dragging it down already, the UMD format is unlikely to be pleased by news that all Target stores will cease selling films stored on the proprietary PSP format. Though UMD games are quite safe, this latest move is likely to cast further doubt on the format's viability in the realm of movies. Those looking to place blame will likely find some good targets in the pricing of the discs, the general lack of bonus features compared to their DVD counterparts and the fact that for Universal Media Discs, they aren''t very "universal" at all.

One retailer's move is hardly a death knell for UMD movies, but perhaps the PSP would be better off by forgetting Hollywood and shoving its solid games library (which has made great strides in the last few months) back into the spotlight. Of course, those already enamored by portable movies should probably rush to their nearest Target before the shelves are empty and the format forgotten.

Target UMDs Online... The B&M stores have more than this.

Best Buy UMDs Online

Fry's Electronics UMDs

Are you getting the point, yet?

Gamestop UMDs

EB Games UMDs

Overstock.com UMDs

Amazon.com UMDs

How about now?

Amazon.UK UMDs

Play.com UK UMDs

Amazon Germany UMDs

Amazon Japan UMDs

If you didn't always doubt what I say, you could have been spared this.  Also, if you would have done a quick online or local store search, you wouldn't have to go through this now.  Now, you have to just be even more upset at me for being correct and wait for another opportunity to try again.

There have been no UMD's in any of the Wal-Mart's in my area in over a year and a half now.

Quoting Calidain:

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PSP UMD officially dead!!!

UMD's Format's Death Rattle Begins

SONY Kills off UMD

UMD ready to go Die Now!!!

Unless Sony can convince other movie studios to license them the distribution rights of their movie libraries, the best you can expect to see on UMD is going to be Sony's own vault of films.  The problem inevitably with UMDs was the outrageous price of the movies.  I remember seeing them sell for upwards of $25+ and that was stripped down versions of the same movie on DVD selling at $15 per DVD.

I have never been into the portable game players, but I will admit that I thought the idea of a all-in-one protable game player that could provide online content, great games, MP3 capabilities as well as play movies seemed like a heckuva an idea...that is until I saw how much the online functions and the UMDs actually cost!!!  I have borrowed PSPs for long flights before and I think they are great, but in the end the cost didn't match my perceived value!!!

I'm glad you have such RECENT links. 

See links above.  Recent day & date releases are on UMD.  How could that be true if there is no support?