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A Message to Studio Executives
Dear Studios,
I'd like to thank you for taking the time to review these passionate petitions signed by so many people who are enjoying their fantastic HD DVD players. It has been a long road to get the get to this point, and we have tried to highlight whatever truths we have been able to suss out regarding the very real strengths that make HD DVD the best and most commercially viable choice for the future of Hi Def optical media - and also the issues that seem to make Bluray wholly unsuitable for that categorization.
Much has been made of the fact that certain studios only support the Bluray format and that you do not want to allow your films to be seen on the HD DVD high definition format. I beg you to re-consider, not only because there are hundreds of thousands of customers awaiting releases from your great libraries on the HD DVD video format, but for the sound business reasons behind such a choice also.
Given the news of the last week that Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks SKG have chosen HD DVD as their format of choice, I wanted to put in an appeal to keep HD DVD "front of mind" as you go forward in your plans to release Hi Def Movie Discs. Paramount's reasoning is very similar to what we think, also. Please let me give you my view of those reasons...
I would like you to know that HD DVD owners everywhere greatly appreciate the immense support that studios like Warner, Paramount, Dreamworks, Weinstein, Universal and others have given the HD DVD format and that we would very much like to see some of our favourites from your company also. It would be very sad to think we would be deprived of these, for whatever reason, and we implore you to give HD DVD the consideration that it does indeed deserve.
I would not wish to speculate too much, but it seems clear from the outside that developing for Bluray releases is a more costly and complicated affair than for HD DVD, since Bluray's BD-J language is doubtless more persnickety and "demanding" than HDi. Also, we have heard much about the costs of mastering, testing and replication for the Bluray format being more expensive than for HD DVD. Not only that, but it now appears that non-Sony BD50 replication is STILL today experiencing production yields of 10%, apparently making it commercially unviable for replication houses who have invested millions.
I don't want to sound like I am simply attacking the other format, but wish to highlight some of the strengths that have made HD DVD so beloved in the eyes of its owners everywhere. We truly have gotten a format that delivers a much deeper user experience, in video, sound and interactivity, for a very fair price.
Not only that, but the mandatory Ethernet ports on all HD DVD players has also allowed studios supporting the format to take great advantage of this by creating web-enabled interactive content, directly linking the viewer, not only to the studio, but also to their friends and family. This is something that is not a promise, or reserved for some optional, esoteric spec promised for the future - but, rather, is a reality on ALL HD DVD players, players available to you as a studio.
We would like you to consider how much better it feels to release films to HD DVD when you can rest assured that all owners will get the same consistent experience when they play your discs - unlike the wild variation in incomplete player specs and capabilities on the Bluray side.
With the raft of inexpensive HD DVD players coming to the market this holiday season - and the confidence that they are ALL fully compatible with whatever you may produce - we are certain that HD DVD will become the strongest vehicle for getting your movies into homes with the highest possible quality. We hope that you won't be taken in by talk of cheap Bluray players that only comply with the same "interim" BD 1.0 spec that the BD format launched with, nor continued hollow promises by the format that they'll resolve their obvious developmental difficulties anytime soon.
The "reference designs" developed by the HD DVD side can be translated into new machines that can brought to market quickly, easily and cheaply by manufacturers at both the High End as well as at the Low End of the market - as is evidenced by the new afffordable players just announced from China, as well as the high end makers like Onkyo, who are bringing out players with added-value also. This is in direct contrast with the design problems quite apparently being experienced in the Bluray camp, where we have just heard news that Denon has had to "delay" their BD 1.1 Bluray player to the 2nd Quarter of 2008, due to "technical" issues.
All we are asking is that you share some of your prized works with those of us who own the HD DVD format as well. Fully a year and a half into this "format war", the Bluray "camp" still has the same issues they are promising to resolve, yet HD DVD has given us high definition 1080p JOY, with a finished product that all of us are enjoying immensely. We would feel so sad if you felt the need to try to influence the outcome of the "war" at our expense, or allowed your movies to be only used on the Bluray side.
We know that studios may well have been sold a bag of promises at the outset of this "format war", but would like to point out that the evidence seems to indicate that Bluray technology has STILL not yet been perfected - neither in the players and their software, nor in the production technology. Even the promise of the PS3 did not come to pass as forecast. You have every right to re-consider your choices before the HD optical media market loses its window of opportunity, which is based on consumer DVD momentum. Even deciding to support both, while you re-consider the viability of Bluray, would be a fair choice.
We all look forward to enjoying your releases on HD DVD. I truly hope that you can see fit to bring your films to HD DVD soon. Till then, you will continue to have our respect and support. Please take some time to read some of the supporting material, with supporting links, which is posted on this site.
Yours sincerely,
The Petitioners - HD DVD Owners Worldwide
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Because modifying the petitions would have invalidated them, there were different versions of the petition during the year, as the facts were updated.
These signatures were collected from the combined sites and duplicate email addresses eliminated.
The current petition site is at: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/HD_DVD_Studio_Support but it is currently being revised and will be moved to a new host.
The old ones were at:
Lions Gate - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/Lions_Gate_For_HD_DVD
Fox - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/Fox_Support_HD_DVD
Disney - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/Disney_for_HD_DVD
MGM Pictures - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/MGM_on_HD_DVD
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