"Therefore, according to these rumors, those discs are very inefficient end thus expensive to produce." I should think that reporting rumor as fact would go against most journalistic instincts. Would it be so hard to actually check out these "rumors" before reporting on them? Also, regarding the Paramount deal, it's a known fact that they accepted $150 million to go HD-DVD exclusive - for a period of 18 months. Why is there no mention of that in your article?

One term.... F.U.D Spreading fear with unsupported speculation. Funny how it always has to be doubts about disc replication to try and belittle the success Blu Ray has been enjoying. Your article is approriately titled. Spin indeed.

David Vaughn is a damned liar. Your mag would do best to get rid of him.

Lets look at the "facts". The article that Shane referenced above is with an excutive from Sony DADC and they yield numbers he quoted were his, not mine. Second, there was a press release from Oct ober 2006, that state even different yield numbers from Sony DADC. Now we have the most current press release that says they have "improved" yields to a lower number than they reported on two separate occasions in 2006! Which numbers are we to believe? The ones from 2006 which were both from Sony DADC that didn't match up or the press release from this year that don't match last years yield numbers? So Rob Z, who is lying?

Mr. Vaughn, please remove your cranium from your rectum. Does anyone, other than those trying to find the smallest detail to derail blu-ray even care about yield rates? The FACT that blu-ray is outselling HD-DVD but a margin of at LEAST 2 to 1 (at least here in the US) should be enough to quell any argument regarding yield rates. Let's find something else to pick on, shall we?

Ray, yield rates will become more and more important as time goes on. Right now though, there isn't enough discs being sold on either format to really matter. Only 3.5 million discs have been sold COMBINED between the two, so a 3:2 advantage (60-40) advantage is only 700,000 discs. Contrast that with DVD, which sells hundreds of millions of discs per year! That is where yield rates matter. If either one of these formats are going to challenge DVD, then profitability will be a factor at some point. I also find it quite amusing that people on both sides of this "war" resort to name calling when something negative about "their" format is published. Neither format is without its issues at this point in the game.

By Ray -- Please refute what Mr. Vaughn has said regarding Sony's inconsistencies on yields rather than taking cheap shots. Ok? Also, The days of BD outselling HD-DVD 2 to 1 appear to be coming to a close. Have you taken a look at the Nielsen data the past four or five weeks? Also, It is NOT a KNOWN FACT that Paramount accepted $150 million to go HD-DVD exclusive. While I agree that incentives were given by Toshiba to Paramount in SOME FORM, this is certainly not something that the BDA is exactly innocent of. Do you think Target (no HD-DVD stand-alone players in store DESPITE being hundreds less than BD players) and Blockbuster (save for online rentals) weren't offered nice incentives to shun HD-DVD? I believe Shane and Dave are right to call BS when they see it on both sides in this war.

Mr. Vaughn, I couldn't agree with you more. The number of discs sold at this point (on either side) are just not enough to really matter. That's why I believe that at this point in time, yield rates are really a non-issue. With that being said, I still stand behind my earlier comments regarding the reporting of rumor as fact with respect to Shane's original post. He also neglected to mention the $150 million Paramount pay-off, which will mis-lead readers to believe that Paramount's switch was based on "replication" rates, versus interest rates. I'd just like to see some real honesty on both sides of the Hi-Def format issue. Now that would be a breath of fresh air.

re: "So Rob Z, who is lying?" What kind of publication is this where staff accuse a major CE vendor of lying? Ask Sony about the descrepancy if you feel there is one, but to publicly accuse them of lying is uncalled for. Mr Buettner - I believe you need to work with your staff on professionalism.

RCW ... In all honesty, I can't refute Mr. Vaughn's yield statistics. My point is, citing yield rates (again and again) as the sole nail in blu-ray's coffin is just getting a bit stale. Can we at least agree to move on to something else? With respect to the $150 million pay-off ... sorry, but that is a fact. Now, having said that ... it's also a fact that the BDA did pay Target some money for that deal as well. I can't say that about Blockbuster. Their CLAIM is that in test markets, blu-ray out performed hd-dvd. Is there any evidence to suggest something else? I agree with you that both Shane and Dave have a right to call BS ... but, let's not call BS on just rumor and innuendo ... let's do it on facts alone. Please. Thanks.

Ray- Instead of instructing our writers to pull their heads out, do me a favor. Reveal one single instance in which I report a rumor as a fact. Everything that is unsubstantiated is directly attributed as such. I agree on yields being rather uninteresting, and a bizarre topic of conversation, which I noted. But if yields aren't a big deal, why is Sony making a point of talking to the press on such esoteric matters? And Ray, if you really want to see some honesty on both sides of the war, as you claim, aren't you a little curious as to why Sony's own numbers on something so unimportant from this year and last don't match up? And on the subject of Paramount and payola, Ray, can you tell our audience what incentives brought Paramount from being an HD DVD exclusive studio, which they originally were, to supporting Blu-ray for a year? Just curious. D Williams- Throwing FUD? Like the liar, liar pants on fire you dropped on Dave? Nice work. And mature.

Zen, my point to Rob was that I have documentation that shows inconsistency with public statements made by Sony DADC, which is why Shane has labeled his blog as "Spin", which is what Sony DADC is doing right now. I wasn't saying Sony DADC was lying, I was saying that Rob was because he hasn't taken the time to do any research on the very public statements that Sony DADC has made in the past. Ray, it is not a FACT that $150 million dollars changed hands. This is a RUMOR at this point, but if you say something enough, some people may be willing to believe it. How much do you think the BDA gave in incentives to Warner and Paramount to be dual format supporters when both were initially HD DVD supporters? Anyone who thinks that "incentives" aren't being used on both sides is naive.

Shane, what I'd like to see is, as I said before, honesty on both side of the aisle. I'd also like to see fair and honest reporting on the issue ... not the Fox Network type of "fair and balanced" BS ... but true fair and honest reporting. Thanks. And truly, I hold nothing against either you or Mr. Vaughn. I refuse to believe that people can rise to the positions you hold without having integrity.

Ray, thanks for the compliment. I personally own both formats with players that I have bought at retail to not give the perception that I am favoring one format over the other. I enjoy both formats and would be happy if either one of them won. But at this point in time, to enjoy all of the HD releases, you have to own two players, plain and simple. As an early adopter and fan of HD media, I am willing to "pay to play"!

Ray- Sony made news this week in bringing up yield rates as part of a PR campaign on behalf of Blu-ray. And the numbers they provided didn't jibe with what was told to the press last year. If Sony puts this info in the press, it's news. So, Ray if you want the yield story to go away, contact Sony and tell them to stop bringing it up. Zen- Dave did not call anyone at Sony liars. Ray and Rob Z and brought the level of discourse here to a new low. Rob Z went so far as to call Dave "a damned liar," and Dave responded appropriately by reiterating that we were not the ones who provided contradictory information. If you read Dave' posts here there is nothing Dave should be censured over. In fact, if I could remember how to get into the right part of our system Rob Z's comment would excised, as it is nothing more than name calling. And Ray, in spite of some his other reasonable comments did us no favors with the recto-cranial blast. Fellas, disagree with us and say w

Ray- I appreciate your points. I think on the whole, we do fair and honest reporting on the format war. It's no end of amusement to me that whenever I report anything on one side supporters of the other scream bias. And Ray, please do consider that both Dave and i speak to lots of people behind the scenes who give us information under anonymity as attributing these sources would affect the livelihood of these people. Two more things: regular readers here know that we reported on the $150 million dollar pay off the day the news of Paramounts' defection broke. And we have referenced it often since. old news. Be assured of this: "behind the scenes," there has been a lot of grumbling that the Blu-ray side would like very much to keep talk of Paramount's defection focused on that $150 million pay off and ignore some of the issues discussed in my post. And I would reiterate that Sony's choice to make this a point of discussion in the last week could mean there is s

Shane and Mr. Vaughn, I admit my "cranium/rectum" comment was way out of line, and for that, I apologize. I'm not an "insider" and can't nor won't claim to have information that supports or detracts from either format. I too have both formats. I also prefer blu-ray over the HD-DVD format. In my opinion, the blu-ray picture is sharper, has more color vibrancy and overall better sound than HD-DVD. What HD-DVD has over blu-ray is some films that won't appear on blu-ray for some time, if ever. Hence, owning both formats. I'm sure that "behind the scenes," there are a lot of things going on that the average person (me included) don't know about. That's why we rely on you, the media, to provide us with information ... but information that's accurate ... honest ... and unbiased.

Ray I agree that some of the PCM mixes that I have heard on Blu-ray have been outstanding, but that's not to say that using the same elements and utilizing a TrueHD or DD+ (1.5 Mbps) mix with the same elements wouldn't produce the same great sound utilizing HD DVD. Double blind tests using the same audio elements would be required to see PCM sounds better than TrueHD or DD+. It is the same with the video...both are 1080p, although Blu-ray has additional bandwidth that they can use in the encoding process which makes encoding difficult scenes easier to do. But given the same film utilizing maximum bitrates on both formats, I doubt in a blind test that people would be able to see a difference. In fact, one studio did such a test and their findings were that both looked equally good.

I feel quite safe in letting our readers read any of the material on this site, including and of my Blog entries and the responses to them and decide who is accurate, honest, and unbiased and who isn't.

As a movie fanatic I would like to say that, in my opinion, I think that the first element that will decide this so called format war is going to be price of dedicated players. I think that up to today, Blue Ray advantage has been mostly in part due to many kids and as well as some adults buying the Playstation gaming stations with Blue Ray players. The surge of Blue Ray disks sales after the Playstations release gives hints to that effect, a surge that overcame the initial lead by HD DVD due to been the first out of the gate sort of speak. But as more and more general shoppers who tend to be the ones buying the dedicated players jump to the next generation of high definition video price will be the deciding factor, and I agree with the ones specifically saying that the magic number of dedicated HD players selling for less that $200 is going to be the tide breaker in this war. At this moment in time HD DVD seems to be closer to making that a reality, while Blue Ray looks to be far behind in that respect.

Shame this site is now touting David Vaughan as some sort of HD DVD messiah keeping Blu-ray on its toes when he has not been able to prove a single thing he has stated on disc replication, only that he "hopes someday he'll be able to reveal his sources" Yes, well I think I'll take solace in the fact that over 610,000 copies of Casino Royale are in people's homes across this planet and over 220,000 copies of "300" are in people's houses all on BD50 discs. I'll also take solace in the fact that Blu-ray has beated DVD to the 100,000 copies sold title mark in time taken, the 200,000 copies mark and will no doubt beat DVD to the 1,000,000 copies sold mark, which for those unaware was two and a half years. DVD launched in Mar ch 1997 and the first title to hit the million mark was "The Matrix" released on Sep tember 21st, 1999. Oh sweet facts, how great thou art.

Anti-Vaughn- Dave Vaughn's title here is "Contributing Writer." We don't actually have an "HD DVD Messiah" on staff currently but if you want to send in your resume feel free. As a sneak peek, my next Blog is going to be about the outlandish behavior of format fanboys who act as though they have a vested financial interest in one of these formats or the other (which for the record, I do not!). I mean, seriously Anti-Vaughn, you really find some sort of emotional satisfaction in how many BD50's are in people's homes? Dude, that's just weird!

Mr. Vaughn is a movie reviewer, journalist, and self-proclaimed insider (from Vacaville ;) ) who *covers* Universal, Warner Bros., and Paramount studios. His knowledge about the intricacies of BD50 replication and future *problems* is about as intuitive as his statements regarding Cinram that he made to me on the old Insider?s companion thread that we used to have. Some mods here may be able to resurrect some of his na

I do not for one moment believe that he is an unbiased or ?neutral? investigative reporter based upon: 1. Scrutiny of his past postings on AVM$ or this forum, until he was no longer welcomed here after he repeatedly broke the roles by disrespecting both paidgeek and myself. Hell, he pushed the Blu-ray replication doomsday scenario both on this forum and AVM$ with as much or more vigor as the recent *doomsday transfer theory* of Bram Stoker?s Dracula was pushed by another individual. That aint reporting. That?s an agenda.;) 2. His studio *sources* are either from HD DVD exclusive studios or one equal opportunity provider (WB). And in regards to Alan Bell, I think that the best thing from the Blu-ray perspective was his leaving WB and going to Paramount but, nobody ever mentioned it much on the forums (if at all?) at the time, because few had even heard of Alan Bell back then.

In fact, if I read what David Vaughn says anywhere and close my eyes, I would swear that Dr. Bell or his assistant was speaking to me rather than David Vaughn. It should be interesting to see what type of reporting and what theories will be floated after 18 months or so.

Shane - you talk about your next article being about fanboys, yet your article and particularly your title reeks of it. "Vaughn is kind of the new guy around here, and he's just immersed in all things format war. Dude has his ear to the ground on this stuff." Well, dude, you certainly don't have your ear to the ground and you obviously accept everything at face value. Hey, I've got a planet to sell, only $20k and it's yours. Interested?

Which of these quotes is correct? Exec. Vp & Gen. Mgr. Mike Mitchell said-"Yields are averaging 80% on single-layer 25-GB media -- about the same rates quoted on our May plant tour. Yields are ?ever so slightly less" on dual-layer." (Consumer Electronics Daily Oct . 25, 2006) Ed Gehrich, director of engineering at Sony DADC ?We have some machines running into the 90s, but I?ve tried to show a realistic average yield" (www.oto-online.com Also Oct ober 2006) The huge increase in Blu-ray production can be attributed to gains in production yields. The BD-25 now has a consistent yield rate of around 85%, while the more difficult to produce BD-50 are consistently between 75% and 79%. (Oct ober 2007 Press Release from Sony DADC). All are from Sony DADC, but I am wondering which ones to believe?

Insider- You refer to David Vaughn as being biased and not being neutral, and of "disprespecting" yourself and Paidgeek, who is a well known employee of Sony Pictures (and a heckuva nice guy, and one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry if reports of his true identity I've received are accurate). Anyway, since bias is an accusation that keeps coming up here, do you care to reveal exactly who you work for and what affiliations you and your employer have in the format war?

If I were alive today I'd be 67 and I'd be releasing all my previous albums remastered into 24/96 5.1 PCM on Blu-ray Disc. Give Blu a chance - it's the better format and does NOT have production issues.

John- I'm sure you mean to say you would be supporting Blu-ray, as long as Yoko says it's OK?