In light of the news that Paramount and DreamWorks have gone HD DVD, the New York Times is reporting that along with the deal, both companies got to pocket some hefty cash.
Money talks in today’s world, and Paramount and DreamWorks will receive about $150 million in incentives for their commitment to HD DVD. The incentives will include market whoring; Toshiba will certainly go ape when marketing Shrek the Third with their HD DVD players. Microsoft, on the other hand, played the good card and said they didn’t fork over any cash.
In the aftermath, several companies proceeded to bash Paramount and DreamWorks, since that’s the best way to prolong a war. Studios supporting Blu-ray, including Disney and 20th Century Fox, flung around some heated words. Bob Chapek, President of Disney’s home entertainment unit said, "There is no longer any doubt that Blu-ray is the clear successor to standard DVDs." When referring to Paramount’s move, Chapek said, "This is not in the best interest of consumers."
In related news, Transformers director Michael Bay responded to Paramount’s move to support HD DVD. To sum it up, he said, "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!"
