FRED MANTEGHIAN BLOG

Some of my friends, otherwise upbeat and keen journalists to the man, have started passing around the Prozac. No, it's not some general malaise, but the news we hear on the sidelines about the disparity between Blu-ray and HD DVD sales. I can't get into specifics, so let's talk hypothetically.

So – hypothetically – let's say a certain movie came out in both formats but sold much better in the blue case than in the red one. Does this say a lot about the relative strengths of the formats and their market penetration – or, as I believe, does it say more about the movie itself. After all, 300 (oops!) was immensely successful with the pimple-popping crowd. Yes the same people who play lots of video games and own the #1 most popular video game console that also doubles as a high definition optical disc player have shown a much greater interest in a sword and sandals tale than, well, everyone else.

Or seen the other way, is it too far a stretch to figure out that people who like movies like 300 would have a proclivity to sit around on the off night and whack aliens or Nazis or, better yet, Nazi aliens? Considering the cartoonish content of 300, I shouldn't be shocked if it turns out it sells better on Blu-ray than HD DVD. In fact, I should expect it to.

So cheer up depressed pathetic HD DVD-owning journalists who go running to your Mommy's every time the Blu-ray Group kicks your ever lovin' ass on a title you wouldn't watch twice even if they paid you. Hold your heads up high and say, "Hey, when the Ingmar Bergman commemorative edition high definition box set comes out, we'll see who's zoomin' whom!"