Blu-ray Playing Dirty in Hi-Def Format War?

By Nick Mokey July 2, 2007

The European Union’s antitrust regulators think they smell something fishy in the high-def format war that has pitted HD DVD against Blu-ray. Many movie studios have decided to exclusively back one format or the other, and the European Commission believes that anti-competitive tactics may have been used to influence those decisions.

Blu-ray’s prevalence among Hollywood movie studios seems to be the cause for concern. Sony Pictures, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate and MGM all release titles exclusively on Blu-ray discs, leaving Universal as the only major studio to produce HD-DVD exclusive releases. The major movie-rental chain Blockbuster also recently announced that it will only offer Blu-ray discs. While exclusivity agreements in themselves aren’t outlawed, the way they were arrived at, as well as their specific terms, may be in violation of European anti-trust laws.

The Commission sent letters movie studios last month asking them to produce documentation of their agreements with format developers, giving them until this Friday to respond. If the resulting correspondence raises red flags, the Commission will launch a full investigation to find out whether any laws were violated.

Although the inquiry is being conducted by European regulators, the results may have implications for the entire worldwide industry. A ruling against Blu-ray’s exclusivity deals could force studios to support both formats, providing even more fuel for the fire in the ongoing format war.

Editors' Recommendations

Managing Editor

As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…

Deals

This Sony Blu-ray Disc player just got a price cut for Black Friday

The Sony BDP-S3700 streaming Blu-Ray Disc player with a CD.

After taking advantage of Black Friday TV deals, the next thing that you should secure is enough content to watch on your new screen. It's a waste if you search through the best Black Friday deals for the offer that provides amazing value for money on a new TV, only to be stuck with watching local channels. Avoid facing that issue with this offer from this year's early Walmart Black Friday deals that slashes $57 off the price of the Sony BDP-S3700 streaming Blu-ray Disc player, bringing it down by nearly half to $63 from its original price of $120.
Buy Now
The Sony BDP-S3700 will let you watch movies in Blu-ray Discs on your TV in Full HD quality, which is ideal if you've accumulated a healthy collection of Blu-Ray Discs that you want to keep. The player is also capable of upscaling standard-definition DVDs to near HD resolution, so you'll have even more options during movie night. Sony dominates Digital Trends' best Blu-ray players, so you won't have to worry about quality.

The capabilities of the Sony BDP-S3700 go beyond playing Blu-ray Discs though. If your TV isn't equipped with a smart TV platform, the Sony BDP-S3700 will allow access to streaming services, so you'll be able to watch the best Netflix movies and best Netflix shows, for example. The device also comes with Quick Start, which lets it boot up in less than 1 second, and Fast Loading, which makes discs load in as fast as 30 seconds.

Deals

Save $100 on this sleek Sony 4K Blu-Ray player at Best Buy today

Sony UBP X700

It's the time of the year to binge every Home Alone and every single Christmas movie that ever hit the theaters. What better way to enjoy your favorite Christmas movies than with a striking, sleek, Sony Blu-Ray player. This Sony 4K Blu-Ray player is just $150 right now -- down $100 from its original price of $250. There's no better time to upgrade your home theater system. Buy this 4K media player now before stocks run out.

The Sony UBPX700 player converts any movie or video you watch into striking 4K picture quality. There's even Dolby Vision HDR and advanced surround sound so you and your family will be immersed in the worlds of your favorite characters the second you turn your new media player on. Every action sequence will be detailed, too, with the lowest lit scenes brightened immensely so you can always keep up with the action -- never miss an Easter egg again. The studio-quality sound will also save you the effort of purchasing an additional soundbar or speaker system, so you know you're getting your money's worth.

Audio / Video

Samsung Blu-ray players suddenly malfunctioning for unknown reason

samsung blu ray players malfunctioning bd j5700

Samsung Blu-ray players are malfunctioning out of the blue, with most reports claiming that the devices are stuck in endless reboots.

Thousands of owners of Samsung Blu-ray players and home theater systems have gone online to complain about the sudden issues, which seemingly started on June 19, according to ZDNet. While the reports vary, the most common problem appears to be Samsung Blu-ray players that continuously power on and off.