[Clint]

Hey guys. I don't want to play the bad guy but listen to what I have to tell you. Basically, there is a fight going on behind the scene which format is going to have the future. Older guys may remember the long war between the VHS and the BETAMAX format. But back to the present: Microsoft developed the High-Defition format that HD TV and Mark Cubans TV channel rely on. In short, Cuban bets on the possibility that HD will be the standard for TV in order to make a HUGE amount of cash. To attract new subscribers to his channel and (I guess) out of personal interest he is investing in MMA events. All business men do the same: Buy a product that is likely to have a huge market share in the future.

Unfortunately for us and Cuban the HD format is not alone.

The opponent for the HD format is Sony's blue ray format. Between those two formats an ongoing conflict is taking place that decides the future of HD Net and an alternative to the UFC. But Cuban is only a very small player in this battle. More important are the Hollywood studios and which standard they support. The DVD market is much much more important to HD and blue ray than Cubans small TV channel. And now the bomb in todays news: Paramount Pictures was the last Hollywood studio that supported the HD standard with its DVDs. But today it withdrew the support, leaving the HD format in limbo. This event will have an impact on HD Net and HD Net MMA. If Cubans thinks, he is on the losing end, he will call it quits in the future.

Replying to posters telling he is an idiot:

Yeah, it is about the format of the future television and which format is going to be supported by the television industry. If these companies (Panasonic, Phillips, Sony etc) only produce blue ray compatible tellies then there is no market for HD at all. If this is the outcome of the debate there is no need for a HD channel.