Blu-ray Backers Launch New High-Def Website

[jed]

Just posted:

In a unique marketing move, several major Blu-ray-backing studios have teamed up to create a new consumer-focused content site, Hollywood in Hi-Def.

At first glance, the just-launched website would appear to be about high-def discs in general, but upon closer inspection, Hollywood in Hi-Def's mix of original content and links to news and reviews from other sites (including this one) is laser-focused on the Blu-ray format only.

Full story:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ef_Website/761

[Arkadin]

This is very nice for Blu-Ray. I wish HD-DVD would offer something along these lines. To be perfectly honest, HD's site blows. and blows hard. Kudos to Blu-Ray for trying to offer a better web experience.

[undawater]

I like that we don't have to sit through trailers and flash animation like so many of the studio sites. That gets old immediately.

[nelll]

This website is a very original Joke. It's a pro blu-ray website and they are giving me a review of a BD discs? . Oh I will trust that opinion with my eyes covered. If I am to jump sides that is the last place on the internet I will go.

[mmmmDoNut]

How bout releasing some movies first (cough Fox, Disney) instead of spending time on creating these websites.

[Arkadin]

Yeah, that's kind of lame, but I still think HD-DvD needs to totally revamp its website. It looks like it hasn't changed since the day it was launched.

[Spideybat]

Originally Posted by nelll

This website is a very original Joke. It's a pro blu-ray website and they are giving me a review of a BD discs? . Oh I will trust that opinion with my eyes covered. If I am to jump sides that is the last place on the internet I will go.

Unbiased reviews I'm sure.

[Sbert]

Unfortunately, the lay person might not know this much about format wars just go to the website and go blu. If they market this site correctly, even though it is heavily biased, it will do it's share of business.

[TaiwaneSTUD]

i like the fact that there are interviews conducted with jerry bruckheimer but he mentions that ppl don't understand High Def stuff, especially those that are not on blu-ray side?

that's just pure stupidity to me.

thumbs down to bruckheimer. WTF




glad we have highdefdigest.com

i click this site 100 times a day.

[Rabiose]

Well sometimes people review movies for their actual content, not just how well the picture and sound quality stacks up against the competing format?

[Scott Hettrick]

Hey Peter, et al, Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about our new site and mentioning us on your venerable site. Sorry I wasn't more clear about the site being focused primarily on Blu-ray since that is the leading format at this point. Took advice of you and others and revised my intro blog to make that more clear on home page beyond the "About Us" because we're not trying to be coy. No way do we think or would I want to try to trick you or your savvy readers. The discussion at HiHD is focused on Blu-ray, for sure, and just as there are plenty of things to say about DVD, there are tons of issues to focus on relative to Blu-ray, flattering or otherwise. So that will keep us and our readers plenty busy and entertained. As for reviews -- reviewers are outsiders and we do not censor or influence them. Will we focus on the titles that are recommended? Sure, but that's just me -- I don't ask people, "Seen any bad movies lately?" My time is limited, so just tell me what's worth my time and money, please. When I check your site, I just look at the top-rated titles. And thank you for such a great site!

[marine92104]

I think it's the great they created a new website to go to with information & I'll visit it like this one.

I agree with the poster above I wish Disney & Fox would use their time releasing titles. I'm getting tired of waiting. There's titles in Europe they are releasing I'm wanting to buy in the States & don't want to have to import.

Hopefully they'll be released here soon. Come on Disney & Fox I want to buy your titles. Release them here. What are you waiting for?

[joeymac]

Scott your website looks like a waste of time. It's just taken the Blu-Ray news from this site and thrown in some propaganda stories.

Why would anyone go to a site to get only half the news....

A film fan would want to know when flicks such as Jaws, Jurassic Park... Kill Bill: "The whole bloody affair".. Sin City 2.... and so on. Your site will be crappy for that kind of coverage.

[rickster]

Scott -- I see you've changed the text in your blog entry, which is a good first step, but I still have issues with your now-revisionist rationale. If you were were writing about the high-def format war as a truly independent entity and chose to only cover positive news about Blu-ray, I suppose that would be fine. But your site isn't independent -- as you state yourself, it is produced and funded entirely by companies that support Blu-ray, which makes only covering "good news" a marketing decision, not an editorial one. You offer some valuable information on the site, but I think it's your personal ethical duty (as well as that of all of the companies backing your site) to not hide your marketing objectives behind editorial hand waving. Your site is advertorial -- call a spade a spade before it's too late, or risk the fate of the Sony's undisclosed PSP marketing site: http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2006...ets_rippe.html

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EDIT (Sat July 14):
Since I originally wrote this, Scott and team have amended their "about us" page -- see my post later in this thread: http://forums.highdefdigest.com/show...257#post201257

[Scott Hettrick]

Why would anyone go to a site to get only half the news....

A film fan would want to know when flicks such as Jaws, Jurassic Park... Kill Bill: "The whole bloody affair".. Sin City 2.... and so on. Your site will be crappy for that kind of coverage. [/quote]

Yep, you're correct joeymac, if you want to discuss HD DVD-only titles and HD DVD topics, HiHD is not the site for you, in the same way that if I want to read about movies via download or VOD or on PSP or VHS or laserdisc, I don't look for that info on this site or other DVD sites. You consider that half the news? I can see that perspective. But we look at it as 100% of the news about the topic we have chosen to cover. Anyway, it's funny, I remember in the earliest days of DVD there was nothing to talk about relative to Jaws or other Spielberg titles for the longest time even for those of us covering DVD since he was one of the longest holdouts with his movies on DVD. BTW, if you're a Spielberg movie fan, you may want to keep close tabs on our site over the next few weeks. That's all I'm saying for now...