Sony may have won the format wars - seeing HD-DVD driven before them and hearing the lamentation of its early adopters - but longer term the discs may go the way of the Betamax and it's all that pesky economy's fault.

"The economy is the biggest challenge, because there are just so many pieces to the Blu-ray puzzle that consumers face," said Disney's Lori MacPherson, "You need the high-definition television set, you need the player, you need the cables, you need the software . . ."

And films. You definitely need films. The price of which compared to DVD, streaming and downloads might also be a factor.

"We're all constantly looking at (disc) pricing," said Rich Marty from Sony, "What it amounts to is that we'll wait until after the fourth quarter and see how it goes."

Economy grinch may pinch Blu-ray format [Reuters]

Street Fighter: Extreme Edition on Blu-Ray [Capcom]

I'd discuss the whole 1.78:1 1080p AVC video accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack bit, but quite frankly those words are gibberish to a man who picked up his surround sound system from Walmart while shopping for socks.

Resident Evil: Degeneration Gets Specs [Blu-ray.com via Capcom]

I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10.

That's not to say Samsung doesn't think the format will do well — but rather, that it won't have legs. Griffiths added that Blu-ray is "going to be huge... We are heavily back-ordered at the moment. Griffiths doesn't go into great depth into what he thinks will bring Blu-ray down.

Samsung: "Blu-ray has 5 years left" [Pocket-lint via Gizmodo]

Good luck with that.

Orinda Intellectual Properties USA Holding Group Inc v. Sony Corporation et al [via Edge]

“Own a piece of history! Only buying the DVD will get you the full complete outrageous movie and game, sadly the rental version is edited down and doesn’t include the infamous Postal games-so don’t get beat renting it.” explained Vince Desi. “The Postal Movie on DVD means EVERYONE will have the opportunity to see it, even Usama Bin-Laden from his cave won’t want to miss this."

The DVD version carries an MSRP of $26.99, with the Blu-ray version at $34.99, but Amazon has the DVD for $22.99 and the Blu-ray at an extremely cheap $19.99, plus you get the benefit of not having to show your face in a store.

“POSTAL – The Movie” NOW on DVD!

Vivendi to Release Special Edition of Film on August 26th

Tucson, AZ: After almost two years of anticipation and anxiety, the long-awaited DVD release of “POSTAL—The Movie” is now. Director Uwe Boll’s first film to draw critical raves has fans that both saw the film in theaters or heard the word second hand ready to pick up and treasure their very own copy of the outrageous satire, inspired by Running With Scissors’ legendary videogame franchise.

The film is based primarily on the POSTAL 2 storyline and stars Zack “Scut Farkis” Ward as the Postal Dude along with Dave “NewsRadio” Foley, Larry “Soup Nazi” Thomas and Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer. Fans will also get a kick out of cameos by RWS honcho Vince Desi and Uwe Boll as the lederhosen clad proprietor of a Bavarian, crypto-Nazi theme park.

Vivendi has officially announced its DVD rollout for August 26th, with an MSRP of $26.99 (Rated and Unrated versions). Extras include a Uwe commentary, deleted scenes, special features (“Raging Boll” and an Indiana Jones spoof starring Troyer) along with a copy of the PC version of POSTAL 2 as well as the multi-player POSTAL 2: Share the Pain. A Blu-ray edition (with identical extras) will also be available to play on your PS3 or other Blu-ray DVD for a MSRP of $34.99.

“Own a piece of history! Only buying the DVD will get you the full complete outrageous movie and game, sadly the rental version is edited down and doesn’t include the infamous Postal games-so don’t get beat renting it.” explained Vince Desi. “The Postal Movie on DVD means EVERYONE will have the opportunity to see it, even Usama Bin-Laden from his cave won’t want to miss this."

The POSTAL film and videogames package will be available at a wide range of retail outlets, including Walmart, Best Buy, Borders, Amazon, Hastings and Virgin.

For more information on Postal games and gear, as well as updates on the development of POSTAL III visit our new expanded site www.gopostal.com and be sure to visit PostalNation.net for in-depth coverage of the RWS scene.

The label doesn't have any Blu-ray content commercially available yet — its planning to release classics like The Last Emperor, The 400 Blows and Bottle Rocket on the Sony approved format this fall. We wouldn't be surprised if at least one of the Criterion employees making corporate theater room decisions is using it off-hours to play some Metal Gear Solid 4 on their 123" screen.

Criterion Collection's reference Blu-ray player is a PS3 [Crave via Giz]

At this time, there is no Blu-ray Disc version planned for the North American market. Please note, however, that you are able to delete and then re-download episodes since the purchase is linked to your PSN account. The developers kept this functionality in mind knowing that the episodes were fairly beefy.

Hah. "No plans". Already, our favourite catchphrase of 2008! Of course, being a PS3 game it's not too hard to import it, so long as you don't mind the characters telling you to stick to the footpath, mind the grey-skinned chaps and use only aluminium weapons. Side note to publishers: more press statements need the word "beefy".

Still No U.S. Plans For Disc-Based ‘Siren: Blood Curse’ [MTV]

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete will ship in Japan at some point in March 2009.

Advent Children Complete Gets FF XIII Trail [Famitsu]

Our plan continues to focus on high-definition experiences. Xbox 360 has a great ability to deliver those through the Xbox Live (online download) service. It's a great way to get the high-definition concept because it's right there. There's no additional media. There is nothing you need to purchase.

If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven't seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It's not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD DVD format. You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, "I am not going to pay extra for that."

There is nothing to even talk about [Blu-ray Xbox 360 plans] right now with regard to the next generation. That is so far out that there isn't anything to talk about.

Also in the interview, Bach states that there is "no real projection" on when the next Xbox iteration will be introduced. While adding that the company is always thinking about the future versions, Microsoft simply doesn't have anything to discuss at the moment. "The last generation for the Xbox was a little short because we entered the market a little bit later in the cycle," says Bach. "I suspect this time the cycle will be a little bit longer for us."

Robbie Bach Interview [SFGate Thanks, Ben!]

Thanks to all who sent this in!

Eds Update: Konami has taken down the clip. Hit the jump for screens and rundown of the conversation.

On the Codec, Otacon tells Snake:

Otacon: Hold it, Snake. Time to change the disc. I know, I know... It's a pain. But you need to swap Disc 1 for Disc 2. You see the disc labeled "2"?

Snake: No.

Otacon: Huh? Oh, wait! We're on PS3tm system! It's a Blu-ray Disc. Dual-layered, too — no need to swap.

Snake: Damn it, Otacon, get a grip!

Otacon: Yeah, what an age we live in, huh, Snake? Wonder what they'll think of next!

It's funnier when, you know, they say it. That, and when Konami Digital Entertainment doesn't take down YouTube clips of them saying it.

The announcement would apparently be timed to upstage Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference which kicks off an hour later in San Francisco. Here's the full rumor from CrunchGear's tipster:

I’m told MS will upstage Apple with a Monday 9am PDT announcement (1 hour before WWDC) via press release that the Xbox 360 will get Blu-Ray before Christmas. Price was “under the current Elite," but i could get any more details.

We'll be pursuing this tomorrow as our means of pursuit are limited today. Carry on.

MS to release Blu-Ray drive on Monday[CrunchGear]

Stringer also admitted the PlayStation 3 had been "on life support for a while," but told the event attendees that things were looking rosy for the console now - promising a boost for the PS3 thanks to Grand Theft Auto IV and titles coming down the pipeline that he says will make good use of the PS3's processing power.

He also talked about how PS3 helped Sony win the Blu-ray war:

After Stringer credited the PS3's Blu-ray drive with the format war victory, the Journal's Walt Mossberg said to him, "I thought you you won that battle because you paid the studios more than the HD-DVD group did."

"We were not in the check-writing competition," Stringer told Mossberg, citing support from Disney and other studios.

Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO, Sony - D6 Highlights [All Things Digital]

SCEE: LittleBigPlanet Delayed, Not Coming Until October
Killzone 2 Dated for 2009
Resistance 2 will Feature Eight-Player Co-Op, 60-player Multiplayer
Motorstorm 2 Gets Named, Detailed
Gran Turismo Racing Academy Announced
Sony Gamers Day UK Info Dump: Resistance 2 to SOCOM Confrontation
Men In Black Becomes First International BD-Live Title
Episodic Siren Blood Curse Hits PS3 This Summer
Sony Brings Indie Music to PSN via Movement
Europe Getting MGS4 Bundle After All
SCEE Plays Up Social Gaming At Gamer's Day 08
PlayStation 3 Outsells 360 In Europe
Mirror's Edge In Motion

"SPHE is delighted to bring BD-Live to International markets for the first time," stated Matt Brown, EVP, International, SPHE, "This follows a successful launch in the US in March and is just the start of the exciting possibilities that will soon be available on high definition Blu-ray Disc."

PlayStation Day '08 Men In Black To Be First Blu-ray Title With BD-Live For International Market

London, (06/05/08) - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) announced today that it will launch its first BD-Live enabled Blu-ray title outside the US market, with the release of Men In Black in selected international territories* beginning 16th June 2008.

This release follows the recent Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 software update for PLAYSTATION®3 (Version 2.20), which made the PS3™ the first Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player available on the market.

Blockbuster hit Men In Black will bring network connected features to international territories for the first time. These features include a BD-Live multi-player Interactive Trivia Game, as well as exclusive downloadable theatrical and home entertainment previews and a FAQ about BD-Live functionality.

Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor alien activity on Earth. The two MiB find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.

"SPHE is delighted to bring BD-Live to International markets for the first time," stated Matt Brown, EVP, International, SPHE, "This follows a successful launch in the US in March and is just the start of the exciting possibilities that will soon be available on high definition Blu-ray Disc."

BD-Live allows consumers to experience a variety of network connected options. In addition to exclusive content, BD-Live titles can enable an exciting slate of next generation possibilities, such as ring tones/wallpaper downloads, peer to peer interactions, live events and gaming activities.

BD-Live titles are compatible with the latest Profile 2.0 BD players. These models also support Blu-ray's "Bonus View" picture-in-picture feature that was available on previous Profile 1.1 BD players.

# # #

It won't be the first time we've heard talk about Microsoft gloming on to the format, as the DigiTimes recently pegged manufacturer Lite-On as a Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive maker and Sony executives hinted that its competitor was feeling Blu to the Financial Times. MS CEO Steve Ballmer recently went on record about the move away from HD-DVD, saying the company will "support Blu-ray in ways that make sense."

Microsoft PR, of course, continues to beat the digital distribution drum and deny the existence of a BRD playing 360. We would of course be shocked to learn that something slipped from the airtight walls of Microsoft early, so we're sticking with unconfirmed rumor at this point.

The EDN report also mentions that a price cut for the Core (Arcade) version of the 360 is planned, but doesn't provide further details on timing or adjustments.

和碩 獲藍光Xbox 360訂單 [Economic Daily News - thanks, Dutch!]

With an estimated 85% of Blu-ray playing devices being PS3s, Wilson says that those invested in the format should maybe concerned that owners of the console may actually be playing games on it. That's clearly trolling, Steve! Are you implying there are no PlayStation 3 games?

Analyst: PS3 a Crutch to the Blu-ray Market [Next-Gen]

The horse that we're fundamentally backing is the one that says the future of entertainment content is online digital distribution. I would argue that we backed the right horse... If we're sitting here in 12 or 18 months time, we'll be saying 'why were people even thinking about a disc format when it's really about digital distribution?' Our strategy's been developed for the last six or seven years, and ever since we launched the platform it [online content] has been our big, big, big bet.

"No. Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray drives for Xbox 360. As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster game available.

Microsoft: Lite-On NOT making Blu-ray drive [TechRadar]

The sources told DigiTimes that Xbox 360 Blu-ray drives manufactured by Lite-On would cost Microsoft $95-$100 a pop—a significant margin higher that their current DVD drives that run $18-$20. Especially with Sony in a unique position to limit supply of some Blu-ray drive components, this could mean that Microsoft's Xbox 360 would once again cost more to produce than Microsoft recouped in sales.

But if said scenarios is true, DigiTimes is overlooking on option in Microsoft's playbook.

Given that Microsoft has no qualms with different SKU pricepoints, a Blu-ray drive could easily be added to an Elite, or even an Elite Blue (or something) without altering Microsoft's bottom line on other models of 360. Of course, the Elite runs $450 and we can't believe that Microsoft would release a 360 with Blu-ray for more than a PlayStation 3. (Sure, maybe they would, but who really knows?) So could a $399 Elite be on the way with Blu-ray support? Dunno.

But no matter what, Microsoft has to be making more on their Elite than any other SKU they offer. Because that 120GB hard drive does not cost them $100 to make. And such profit margins would give them a little room to breathe with Blu-ray pricing.

Blu-ray Xbox 360s may sell at a loss, say Taiwan makers [DigiTimes via Maxconsole]

It's not merely "laziness" or the result of multi-platform lowest common denominator programming, even games like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue come equipped with a 12 minute install. So, what's the deal?

MTV Multiplayer explores the various reasons behind hard drive installs of game content, pointing out that some developers of multi-platform titles aren't catering their data structures to the Blu-ray format, opting to dump the DVD on the newer, Sony backed spec. That oversight in optimization may be contributing to your longer load times and, in some cases, explain required installs. The PS3's Blu-ray drive only reads at one speed, another contributor. There's more to be learned at the original report.

Does it suck? Yes. Would I rather have shortened load times, regardless of the install? Oh, most definitely. You mad? Let us know in the comments.

The Mystery Behind PlayStation 3's Sometimes Mandatory Installations [MTV Multiplayer] [Image Credit]

Additional geek note: said future blu console will feature a 170-watt power supply. Exciting! We'd remind you again that this is all still considered rumor to the nth degree, but you're old pros by now.

Lite-On developing BD-ROM drives for Xbox 360, sources say [DigiTimes]

Unfortunately due to some last minute technical difficulties, we were unable to publish the new content to the PS Store yesterday. We are working to resolve these issues and will let you know as soon as new content is posted.

Authors David Mercer and Peter King write that Europe will be the largest market for Blu-ray players—they do love their PlayStations—with the US and Japan placing and showing.

I just got No Country For Old Men on Blu-ray in the mail from Netflix, which is also probably not that interesting unless you're getting Blu-ray royalties. Or you're a stalker.

SCEA contacted us today to let us know we were right to doubt, the Playstation 3's firmware 2.20 update will not include Portable Copy support, despite reports to the contrary.

Too bad, I'm about to go away on a trip for a few days and was thinking I might be able to bring some movies with me. Of course, I'm also still confused about whether all Blu-ray movies will be copyable or if it will be only for movies that have an extra PSP file included on the disc.

Portable Copy will give Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable owners the ability to buy a Blu-Ray movie, insert it into their PS3 and download a standard res version to their PSP.

While this would be pretty exciting news the fact that Sony has yet to mention it will be on this latest firmware update leaves me a little dubious about the whole thing. We know it's coming, I'm just not sure it will be with this firmware.

I guess we'll know soon enough, when the firmware hits.

PS3 Firmware Update Enhances Blu-ray Capabilities [PC World]

UPDATE: Turns out the rumors were wrong. Portable Copy isn't coming with 2.2.

Those stuck with HD-DVD players getting gift cards {CNN.com - Thanks, Robert]

Microsoft says no Blu-ray for Xbox 360 [Reuters, via Game Pro]

It may not have had the best response from critics, but the masses and Roger Ebert seemed to like it. And he knows what's what. Any huge Hitman fans picking this one up?

While Ballmer says that Microsoft has "moved on" from HD-DVD and that "we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense" that could mean support stops and starts at drivers for Windows Vista. Of course, it could also mean that Sony senior execs weren't fibbing about a potential Blu-ray capable Xbox 360. Won't some kind time traveler tell us what the plan is?

Ballmer lets out his inner Monkey at Mix08 event [Seattle Post Intelligencer]

While Sony brass may have spilled the beans on a possible 360 revision, Microsoft reps were quick to place doubt on the report. Next-Gen quotes a Microsoft spokesperson as saying "There are no plans to introduce Blu-ray" today, instead reiterating the company's focus on games. Someone's not being truthful here about Blu-ray playback. And if we can't trust high level Sony executives or PR representatives, who can we trust?

Sony, Microsoft discuss Blu-ray for Xbox 360 [Financial Times]
Microsoft Downplays Blu 360 Talk [Next-Gen]

Kojima: For us, we're not still not satisfied with the quality we can do. You know, there's not capacity space.

Interviewer: Wait, wait a sec. Saying there's not enough capacity, are you talking about Blu-ray?

Kojima: That's correct. There's not enough space at all. (laughs) ...There's not enough space. We always talked about where to cut and what to compress.

I'll start with the admission that I am one of the early a-duh-pters that has the HD DVD add-on for the XBOX 360. That doesn't make me a MS fanboi, I would instead describe myself as an evil-company-hateboi. And if you want proof that I'm not in MS' camp just talk to me someday about Vista and its wonderful support of earlier versions of Office.

There are several reasons that the death of HD DVD sticks in my craw.

1) HD DVD was far more consumer-friendly.

* It's region-free. The spec does not have Region coding, allowing for my purchase of titles from anywhere in the world. I could watch German scheisse videos featuring Cartman's mom to my heart's content.

* It's easily upgradeable. An ethernet port is mandatory in the HD DVD spec. The majority of stand alone Blu-ray players don't have ethernet which not only limits interactive features but more importantly complicates upgrade issues. Something the early adopters will be realizing once Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) is widely released.

* AACS (onerous copy protection) is optional in HD DVD but required in Blu-ray. This should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with Sony and their bootkit rootkit bonanza rewards.

Although none of these features may matter to you, the underlying principle of being consumer-friendly should. Sony simply doesn't get it and frankly I feel that they don't care.

2) Who the hell decided "one format to rule them all?"

Yeah. I actually have heard of Betamax but I've also heard of Macintosh, Firefox and Linux. Simply put - choice is good for consumers. I recognize that there are additional costs to the studios in authoring more than one format but in the scheme of things this is a negligible cost.

The excuse that consumers wouldn't get off of the fence until the "format war" was over is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I can guaran-damn-tee you that the fence is where I'll stay firmly entrenched next time around.

3) My last beef is far less tangible but still valid to me and that is this bully-ish concept of Sony declaring that if we didn't like their rules then they were going to take their ball (read: movie studio) and go home.

I recognize that I'm painting Sony with a very broad brush (as I type this on my snazzy Sony VAIO laptop sitting in front of my gorgeous Sony XBR2-60" TV) and that's not my intent. But faulting "Sony" is less cumbersome an attribution than to the conference room full of pointy-headed-asshats who were behind this consumer unfriendly move.

So while my 360 will rely heavily on downloaded movies and videos from XBL the HD DVD will still live on in my house in the 40-ish movies that I currently have and the (hopefully) $10 movies to come in the following months.

HD DVD, I hardly knew ya.

Interesting factoid: Before Sony released the PS3, HD DVD occupied 64 percent of HD format sales, and now Blu-ray accounts for 65 percent. The ironic bit: While Sony built up big Blu-ray support with the PS3, it doesn't solely own the technology. Sony must split royalties with other members of the Blu-ray association like Samsung and Panasonic — the same members Sony is battling with for market share! Says Morgan Stanley's Tokyo-based analyst Masahiro Ono:

Sony's Blu-ray hardware business model isn't very profitable. Even if it's profitable next year, we can't expect a high margin.