Audio Video News

The rumors got louder and louder and today they became truth: Warner Bros. - the "Switzerland" studio in the high-def format wars (they produced Blu-ray and HD DVD discs) - just dumped the red states (HD DVD) and went exclusively Blu.

A statement released by the studio reads, "Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Barry Meyer, the studio's Chairman and CEO.  "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.  We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."

The move comes "in response to consumer demand" (Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVDs by roughly 6 to 4) and goes into effect in May.

This could be a devastating blow to HD DVD, which now only counts Paramount, Universal, and DreamWorks as its sole major studios.

Really, the fact is, had all the studios picked one format, there would have been no war.
-Rob Medich