Michael Bay talks HD DVD and Microsoft's 'dirty secret'
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 5th 2007 at 1:58PM }
Bay writes, "Microsoft wants both [HD DVD and Blu-ray] formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about. That is why Microsoft is handing out $100 million dollar checks to studios just [to] embrace the HD DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu Ray [sic]. They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."
While we can't verify just how many $100 million checks have been cashed (we know of just the one we received to ensure the Sony bias keeps flowing), we do know what Bill Gates told us nearly a year ago: "HD DVD is great ... It's neat. But over time, eventually online is going to be more important." That don't sound like no secret to us. Sony was early to the HD movie market and Microsoft didn't want its competitor to run away with a new format before it could get the proper digital distribution network and hardware in place. HD DVD certainly can be viewed as a stalling tactic, and two formats with varying Hollywood support is definitely confusing to consumers, but let's not mistake reality for Michael Bay's vision of Armageddon.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
TEK @ Dec 5th 2007 2:04PM
Michael Bay and his movies are lame.
Myke @ Dec 5th 2007 4:31PM
Hey, I like his movies. Especially Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2. Transformers, too!
Anyway, I believe him. M$ is like a mob. If they can't beat you, they'll just by out your resources until they win. Its a shame. They are a great PC/software but this Xbox thing sux a$$.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Dec 5th 2007 6:02PM
Oh man. Myke your such a rebel man. Way to use those $ and keep on fighting the good fight.
douchebag.
T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Dec 5th 2007 6:44PM
"You aint seen Bad Boys 2?"... Bay is a blight on cinema, a director who relies on special effects to prop up the poorly written scenes between them. The dialouges only purpose is to lead into the next special effect.
Ethan @ Dec 10th 2007 5:30PM
How the hell is this a secret. People were talking about this before either of the formats even came out.
Korova @ Dec 6th 2007 9:36AM
I like to watch Bad Boys on digital download called cable TV. I dont care enough to own it or save it.
Craig @ Dec 6th 2007 1:58PM
The fact is Blu-Ray has won already. I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada. In a "city" of 35,000 people and Blockbuster is renting Blu-Ray here. When the biggest video rental co. has made it's choice & Disney has made it's choice... being Blu-Ray, well we know who's won. Disney movies are most likely to be purchased, simply because children will watch the same movie over & over & over again. In order for me to get an hd-dvd, I have to buy it or use a mail service (most people want to just rent unless it's for a kid).
So there you go, it's done Blu-Ray has won. Downloading means for 90% of people, new equipment, streaming, burning or whatever to get it on our TVs... Most people want to just pop a disc in a machine hit play & enjoy.
Jerk Face @ Dec 5th 2007 2:06PM
"While we can't verify just how many $100 million checks have been cashed (we know of just the one we received to ensure the Sony bias keeps flowing), "
"OMG JOYSTIQ IS TOBIAS", Confirmed!
Cyro @ Dec 5th 2007 2:20PM
LOL!
Fuji2001 @ Dec 5th 2007 2:06PM
"...but let's not mistake reality for Michael Bay's vision of Armageddon."
I see what you did there!
FidliousWong @ Dec 5th 2007 2:07PM
This stance from Michael Bay is kind of hard to understand given the fact that he's a certified whore. I was thinking while watching Transformers, "The only thing he didn't run a commercial for here was his previous films." And then the Armageddon comment was made....
Michael Bay just seems upset he didn't get HIS check (and, incidently, it was $50 million, not $100 million).
mietha CAG @ Dec 5th 2007 2:17PM
Brilliant :) The sad thing is, I'm still not sure it's worse than the totally over-the-top advertising of Fantastic Four 2. I'm tired of paying 20-30 bucks for a movie to end up watching a bunch of commercials. Hell, that's the main reason I rarely watch television.
FidliousWong @ Dec 5th 2007 3:09PM
One local theatre (Beverly), kept increasing their advertising. Essentially it's gotten to the point, and this is not exaggeration as I timed it, new movies have 40+ minutes of commercials in the beginning now. 15 minutes of extended TV commercials, 10 minutes of locally ran trailers, and 15 minutes of national trailers.
This on top of the fact that they let me into the END of a movie twice only adds up to why I only do Savoy anymore.
Princess Skittles @ Dec 5th 2007 2:08PM
I'm not one of those internet lemmings that hate on Bay just because it's fashionable, but in this case I have to say that he's got to be high on something to think that everything he said about Microsoft doesn't also apply to Sony concerning these HD formats.
Hikaru @ Dec 5th 2007 3:13PM
I don't think it's the same with Sony, because they created and support 100% Blu-Ray.
Matt B @ Dec 5th 2007 3:50PM
BR is not a SONY format. It was developed and is being backed by a half dozen or so companies including Sony. Sony just uses it in the PS3.
High Density DVD is backed by Toshiba and MS.
JL @ Dec 5th 2007 5:18PM
@ Matt B
You didnt just say high density did you? Oh wow...you did...lol
J.Goodwin @ Dec 5th 2007 6:01PM
Because Microsoft Windows doesn't play Blu-Ray discs.
Oh, wait.
mietha CAG @ Dec 5th 2007 2:08PM
Toys R Us is currently clearencing out the 360 HD-DVD drives, stating the reason as stop of production. Take that for what you will. And Transformers was a pile of dog shit.
Darth Abe @ Dec 5th 2007 2:08PM
I dunno about dirty secret.
Am I the only one who thinks digital distribution is a great idea?
DSR7997 @ Dec 5th 2007 2:11PM
No, you are not alone.
mietha CAG @ Dec 5th 2007 2:14PM
Yeah, sure, DRM laden, full priced, buggy, downloads onto extremely overpriced hard drives seems like a brilliant idea... Not to mention that the content has ZERO resell value and that there is no guarentee how long you will actually be able to access your content.
URMRGAY @ Dec 5th 2007 2:16PM
I do, I download movies from torrent sites all the time!
Jerk Face @ Dec 5th 2007 2:20PM
I heart Steam four E.
jagowar @ Dec 5th 2007 5:37PM
nope... i for one cant wait till i can sell my hd-dvd and bluray player for xbox live (once we get a nice netflix subscription)
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 5th 2007 2:31PM
Digital distribution will only be awesome and legitimized when it comes DRM free and I can move it to any data-storing device I own.
Until then, I'll keep buying my DVDs and ripping them to HDD myself. DRM free.
Jake @ Dec 5th 2007 2:31PM
Digital downloads would be fine if it weren't for the fact that you usually don't get a price break and you can't resell it. No wonder piracy is getting more popular.
Dadidito @ Dec 5th 2007 2:45PM
I personally love digital downloads. Its ultra convenient as as long as you have at least normal cable broadband its not a long wait at all. The most I ever waited for was Pan's Labrynth (great movies seriously, best in years IMO) and that took about 27 minutes.
FidliousWong @ Dec 5th 2007 3:06PM
Just thought I would mention this because I'm dick like this. I bought my copy of Pan's Labyrinth for $7 on DVD, PS3 upscales comparable to a 720p DL, and I got a movie ticket to see Golden Compass for free. And you have to delete your copy in 48 hours...
Essentially my movie buying habits follow this trend.
Favorite movies get purchased on BluRay if available, DVD in not.
Curious about, Netflix for both formats.
Bored and want to watch something, Netflix streaming. I watched Johnny Dangerously last night... nice.
Mr Khan @ Dec 5th 2007 6:07PM
A more likeable idea, but not feasible between the RIAA and the other DRM nuts all over the world and the incredibly intransigent telecom companies in North America, slowly releasing slow (compared to other countries) and expensive (especially compared to other countries) Broadband to the stix
ExMcloud @ Dec 5th 2007 6:53PM
Hell no your not alone...Digital distribution is the future....DVD to HD-DVD is not the big jump like VHS to DVD...But in this new age of everything being online and high speed digital distribution would be the huge jump. So ofcourse sony wants it to fail because they would have to pay Microsoft...lol....M.Bay's an idiot...Digital distribution is the FUTURE and its not that far away.
Ramifications @ Dec 5th 2007 2:13PM
Hmm... Calm your robotic engines Michael Bay. Who DOESN'T want digital distribution to be perfected? It will be great once it's ready. And until then, why hate on Microsoft for trying to slow down its main competitor!!! Thats called good business!
Burritoclock @ Dec 5th 2007 2:14PM
Digital is great for rental's, but there will be a market for tangible property for sometime. I mean there are some movie you want an actual disk to.
But yeah that is microsoft's strategy and it's about as secret as the contra code.
TEK @ Dec 5th 2007 2:16PM
not a lemming, Princess Skittles, more of someone who doesn't appreciate an explosion in every scene...
Tykin @ Dec 5th 2007 2:16PM
"Microsoft wants both [HD DVD and Blu-ray] formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about."
Umm..I believe everyone has been talking about it. For some time now, actually.
Maybe Michael should check out digg.com more often.
Ethan @ Dec 5th 2007 2:16PM
I like the [sic] in there. I think Microsoft went for HD-DVD because Sony was using the other one.
URMRGAY @ Dec 5th 2007 2:20PM
I don't understand why so many people hate on Bay, Indiana Jones titles could easily be Bay movies and people seem to like those.
samfish @ Dec 5th 2007 2:24PM
No, Indiana Jones movies don't make you want to weep for the cumulative stupidity of Americans.
gonk @ Dec 5th 2007 2:57PM
indiana jones is actually good. really, really good.
thomas logic @ Dec 5th 2007 2:26PM
Bay is right on the money. MS doesn't innovate, they spread FUD until they catch up. Now they drag unsuspecting gamers into the fold, selling 10 year old DVD drives in the second xbox is bad enough, but to slam the number 1 HD format is just showing how short sighted their engineers truly are. 20 years of virus ridden windows should be proof to anyone in the home entertainment industry, PC industry MS knows not what they speak of. MS FUD patrol, full speed ahead!
PeacefulOutrage @ Dec 5th 2007 2:35PM
Don't know if you knew this, but with the BD+ standard recently finalized, all of those poeple spending $1000 on bluRay players have obsolete equipment that doesn't tale full advantage of what was originally advertised. HD-DVD, on the other hand, didn' screw early adopters that way.
eurotransient @ Dec 5th 2007 2:49PM
Wow, I didn't realize the writers at Sony Defense Force read Joystiq! Welcome! You guys are great for a daily laugh!
Noshino @ Dec 5th 2007 3:26PM
PeacefulOutrage,
there was this talk about that some time ago, and I think it was someone from the Blu-Ray camp that said that it could be fixed with a firmware....
Snukadaman @ Dec 5th 2007 3:59PM
I laughed after reading this....
"Now they drag unsuspecting gamers into the fold,"
did sony not do the exact same thing with blu-ray?? or are those blu tinted glasses your wearing not able too see hypocrisy?
Spartacus @ Dec 5th 2007 4:01PM
LOL. Lots of people claim MS doesn't innovate because it's cool to rag on Gates and company. However MS has innovated in a lot of areas including, but not limited to the PC platform. The Xbox division has innovated a lot, MS's Passport system and integration is awesome (especially in tangent with LIVE) and MS made the sidewinder motion sensitive controller long before Nintendo repackaged it as the Wiimote. MS game studios also have cranked out some truly innovative games over the years. MS is just as innovative as Sony or Nintendo (the latter of which still milks Mario after 20 years).
"10 year old disc drives"... You mean like the 10 year old controllers the PS3 has?
Number one HD format? The only reason BD is doing well is because Sony is selling a gaming console as a movie player first and a gaming machine second. They have far more invested interest in the HD war than MS does.
"Virus ridden Windows..." I think you meant "bug ridden" as viruses usually originate from a 3rd party source and filter in through the intenet, which is not the OS programmer's fault. Furthermore Sony's incompetence in software writing is an order of magnitude worse than that of MS, so again your arguement is pretty hypocritical.
ukickmydog @ Dec 5th 2007 6:55PM
what OS do SONY vaio's use again? Oh wait...
dsub @ Dec 5th 2007 2:21PM
The move to digital downloads are inevitable. If MS is so evil, then why is Sony launching it's PS3 movie/TV download service soon?
Perhaps we could also discuss the positive effects of shying away from discs. I wonder how much oil goes into the production of CD's, DVD's, HDDVD's and Blu-Ray discs each year? Afterall, they are made of plastic, and plastic is kind of a petroleum based product. Not to mention cheaper prices, and immediate availability.
We talk about how we want physical copies of games and such, and I believe games will stay that way, but movies? I mean, in all honesty, 9/10 of the movies we watch, we only watch once. Once bandwidth gets to the point where I can fully download an entire HD movie in less than 15 minutes, the DVD business is going to suffer, big time. Netflix already has a streaming service that lets you watch movies instantly in amazing quality. It's only a matter of time before I can hop on my PC, go to www.bestbuy.com, pay for and download my movies in HD, and then wirelessly stream them to my TV. This will be a common household thing within 10 years.
samfish @ Dec 5th 2007 2:27PM
I prefer digital movies instead of hard copy ones, myself. Ideally, they'll phase out disc based movies with the exception of special edition type things where if you want the pride of owning a movie for whatever reason, you can...or something.
ace in TN @ Dec 7th 2007 2:04PM
Well, you can call me a luddite or maybe I'm just getting old (43, so far), but I have never, ever, downloaded music online. I still prefer CDs because I can play them anywhere and when I rip them to a computer, can make sure they are DRM free.
I similarly have no plans to ever download a movie online. How can we trust that even alleged DRM free movies are free of DRM or, worse, malware. If optical media like CDs and DVDs become unavailable, I will simply stop buying content. I own over 500 CDs and over 200 DVDs and that will last the rest of my life.
Also, I am staying out of the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD thingy until a TRUE WINNER emerges. And, contrary, to some posts it is not over as another important group the "adult" entertainment industry has standardized on HD-DVD. (Please forgive me if I am mistaken here.)
I am also staying out since my HDTV supports up to 1080i, it only has component video inputs. Now, DirectTV (1080i max), original XBOX (720p max), and PS2 (1080i max) support those resolutions on component. I recently purchased an up-convert standard DVD play but the upconvert ONLY works on HDMI and not component. I will need to investigate to see if a new hi-def player will support hi-def on component video, if not I'll stick with tradional DVDs which are good enough for me because I can't afford to buy a new set with HDMI or even DVI input.
Mort @ Dec 5th 2007 2:23PM
Someone get this guy out of here! He has no imagination, just special effects. He is guilty of destroying my childhood memories! Give them back Michael! Give me Transformers back!