Audio Video News

Warner Bros. -- which until now has released titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD -- will go Blu-ray-only, Reuters reported today.

The studio's HD DVD releases will continue till May. After that it's Blu-ray all the way for Warner.

Only a few months ago, studio support was divided roughly 50/50. Well, maybe 60/40. On the Blu-ray side were Sony-owned Sony Pictures and Columbia TriStar, of course, along with Twentieth Century-Fox, Disney, MGM, and Lionsgate. In the HD DVD camp were Universal, Paramount, and DreamWorks, except for Paramount's Steven Spielberg movies, released in both formats. Warner straddled the fence between the two high-def disc contenders.

When Paramount and DreamWorks went exclusively HD DVD late last summer, that was seen as a major coup and a good sign for HD DVD's longevity.

But Warner will certainly add greater weight to Blu-ray. And cries for an end to the destructive format war will grow louder. Could this be the start of an avalanche that eventually buries HD DVD?

The bombshell came just days before the start of the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Our show blog will no doubt have plenty to say when we attend events sponsored by both camps.