Audio Video News

This week's long round of goodbyes continues with Paramount's announcement that it will resume releasing in Blu-ray after a brief hiatus of HD DVD exclusivity.

The Hollywood Reporter, which broke this week's big story last Friday, offers this quote from Paramount: "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."

Has anyone noticed how ambiguous this statement is? The Paramount folks seem to be saying they will give Blu the keys to their movie library, but only if consumers make it worth their while. There's a lingering subtext of affection for DVD here. After all, that is where the studios are still making their money in hard-copy formats.

Paramount's return to the Blu-ray mothership would have seemed unthinkable last summer, when Paramount and DreamWorks signed an agreement to support HD DVD exclusively for 18 months. However, the official withdrawal of HD DVD from the market leaves the studios free to pursue Blu-ray.

HD DVD's troubles began (or accelerated) when Warner switched sides just before the January Consumer Electronics Show. When Toshiba failed to announce a fourth generation of hardware at its CES press conference, and the HD DVD Promotion Group canceled its press event altogether, whispers of a fatal illness began sweeping the blogosphere. Universal began plotting its next move then, announcing within days that it would not renew its exclusivity agreement with HD DVD.

Retailer support quickly eroded after that, with announcements from Netflix, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and others that they would emphasize Blu-ray. HD DVD's final death throes came as rumors of a formal announcement started on Friday. HD DVD finally conceded defeat Tuesday. Universal, then Paramount did what came naturally.

If you haven't already, here's your chance to offer an opinion.