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January 5, 2008

business

DVD drama: Warner Bros abandons HD DVD

Posted Jan. 5, ’08, 12:49 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Business

On the eve of the Consumer Electronnics Show in Las Vegas, Warner Bros announced that it would no longer release its movies on Toshiba’s high-definition DVD format, HD DVD, after May 2008. This is sure to please Sony, the other player in this on-going format war, whose Blu-ray format will now on be blessed with the exclusivity of Warner’s flicks.

The question is, will this help define the format of the future? Warner hopes so:

“A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner’s home entertainment group in a statement.

A sign that this might give Blu-ray a clear advantage is that apparently, the HD DVD group canceled its press conference at CES. Heading into the year’s biggest gadget show, Sony definitely has the momentum. Hopefully a clear winner can emerge soon to end this futile format war.

Of course, with Apple supporting the Blu-ray camp, many people have waited and waited for the company to include Blu-ray drives in the Mac Pro. With Macworld Expo also just around the corner, perhaps the time is now?


4 Comments

Tom said:

Oh hey the 150th time I've seen this story appear in Google Reader

Also I wonder how MS is going to take this since there's only a hd-dvd player for xbox

as well, the porn industry seems to have chosen HD-DVD, with barely any titles in Blu Ray, so does this mean if a user wants to see HD porn he'll have to get a 360? :)

January 5, 2008 12:56 PM
goobimama Author Profile Page said:

Apple should at least start with providing HDCP compliant displays, just to be a little future proof.

January 6, 2008 1:41 AM
JOhn said:

Last year I was using both HD-DVD and Blu-ray but decided to give my full support to Blu-Ray because like Warner Bros. I believe that people have to make a stand. I am very happy with my choice.

I am also sick of hearing people pointing out the Beta vs VHS battles years ago. Yes the Porn industry helped decide the BETA fate but that was then and this is now. Pornography is much more convenient to get using the Internet.

January 6, 2008 6:26 AM
Will said:

The porn industry always wins;-)

January 6, 2008 9:59 AM

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