Posted by Derek Janssen on 01/10/08 01:00

mark johnson wrote:

>>
>>google broke?
>>
>>It was 620 million
>
> So I wonder how much Paramount and Universal have just been paid to go back
> to Blu-Ray?
>
> http://formatwarcentral.com/index.php/2008/01/09/the-digital-bits-paramount-and-universal-are-going-blu/

Universal "chose" HD much earlier (ahemmicrosoftlapdog) than Paramount,
so naturally their eighteen-month renewable contract expires twelve
months earlier--
Otherwise, it's on the same "So, wanna enjoy the 'fun' for one more
round?" system that, like Paramount, they may be deciding to sit out
once they got the free and open chance...Loopy Craig Kornblau rallying
notwithstanding.

As noted, Paramount/DW's contract was different from Universal's, in
that they were actually *persuaded* that, oh sure, Warner and Fox would
be along any moment!
Since Toshiba honestly believed that, Paramount's lawyers can't nullify
the contract under false pretenses, but it does account for Paramount
insisting on that opt-out clause that they weren't going to let Warner
show them up in the marketplace--They knew that the entire War revolved
around Warner and Fox's influence, and they weren't going to let
themselves be *that* much of a patsy...

(And refresh memory, was it Fox's or Disney's executive who was the
first one to flat-out call the Toshiba bribe a bribe in public at that
one meeting, while everyone else was being corporately tactful about
P/DW's "unfortunate choice" and "promotional incentives"?)

Derek Janssen
ejanss1@verizon.net

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