Viacom‘s Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG announced they are abandoning Sony‘s HD Blu-ray format and will instead only release high-definition DVDs in the competing HD DVD format. The decision is quite a reversal for Blu-ray, which had been outselling HD DVDs in the U.S. and Europe by 2 to 1 according to reports.
The DVD format war, reminiscent of the fight between Betamax and VHS, has been blamed for slowing the adoption of high-definition DVD discs. But it will likely continue to drag on as Sony, Disney and Fox remain in the Blue-ray camp.
Meanwhile, Warner Home Video, which set high definition records this month selling over 250,000 copies of the historical(Amazon link) Zack Snyder directed epic 300 starring Gerard Butler, will continue to release DVDs in both formats.
But hit movies like Transformers, Shrek the Third, and Blades of Glory will only be available in HD DVD when they debut this holiday season.
Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
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