The format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray came officially to a end this week when all six major Hollywood studios announced that they joined the Blu-ray Disc camp and Toshiba said that they would abandon the format in March 2008. Toshiba had been trying to put a positive spin on the loss of Warner Bros as a HD-DVD supporter since January.
Last week both Wal-Mart and Netflix decided to stock only Blu-ray DVDs.
Paramount Home Entertainment, who switched from Blu-ray to HD-DVD in August 2007, quietly came back to the Blu-ray camp via a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter.
“We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer… As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly.”
Rumor had it that Paramount had a special get-out clause in their HD-DVD deal in case Warner Bros switched sides.
Thank goodness this HD disc format war is finally over. It’s been one of the most ridiculous distractions the gaming industry has ever seen.
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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Thank goodness this HD disc format war is finally over.