Taps for HD DVD as Wal-Mart Backs Blu-ray
19427
High-definition DVD died Friday after a brief illness. The cause of death was the decision by Wal-Mart to stock only HD DVDs and players using the Blu-ray format.
184271
Amazon.com Inc announced its support  for Sony Corp's Blu-ray format on Wednesday, days after Toshiba  Corp pulled the plug on the rival HD DVD format, as key studios  and retailers also took Blu-ray's side.
327155
BURBANK, CALIF: The Walt Disney Co. will back the high-definition Blu-ray disc developed by Sony over a competing HD DVD format, setting in place a high-stakes battle between Hollywoodâs leading studios with only one format likely to survive.
184553
Warner Bros., the only major movie studio to release titles on both of the rival high-definition video disc formats, has decided to drop HD DVD and exclusively back Blu-ray Disc, it said Friday.The move could prove decisive in determining which of the two formats becomes the de facto DVD replacement for high-definition content. Currently, both formats are battling to secure a lead, but neither has managed to obtain a meaningful market share due to consumer indifference as a consequence of the battle. As a result, the market for high-definition movies has seen its growth stunted, and companies like Warner have lost potential sales.Warner said the decision was made in part as a response to this situation.&quot;A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,&quot; said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner&#39;s home entertainment group in a statement.The move comes on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off on Monday in Las Vegas, and is sure to light a fire under the HD DVD camp, which is chiefly backed by Toshiba and also includes Paramount, Universal, HBO Video, Microsoft, and Intel. The HD DVD Promotion Group has a previously scheduled news conference on Sunday, and the rival Blu-ray Disc group is scheduled to speak the following day.Companies from both sides of the format battle are expected to show their latest players and talk up their own formats during CES.Last year&#39;s CES saw the unveiling by Warner of a hybrid disc called Total HD. The disc attempted to break the format deadlock by offering one side compatible with HD DVD and the other side compatible with Blu-ray Disc. However, the disc never made it to market, and Warner gave up on the hybrid format later in 2007.
293290
With rumors swirling that Toshiba is about to scrap HD DVD altogether, the largest retailer in the world says it, too, is choosing to support Blu-ray Disc.
629169
Here's a timeline of the format battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
638786
National discount retailer Wal-Mart announced Friday that it had decided to only sell Sony's Blu-ray hi-definition movie discs, and will phase out Toshiba's competing HD-DVD formatted discs over the next several months.
271283
Wal-Mart Stores Inc  has  decided to exclusively sell high-definition DVDs in the Blu-Ray  format, dealing what could be a crippling blow to the rival HD  DVD technology backed by Toshiba Corp .
165998
Wal-Mart, the largest U.S. retailer, on Friday said it would phase out the sales of HD DVD offerings and exclusively offer high-definition Blu-ray hardware and DVDs by the middle of this year.The decision was based on U.S. customers&#39; preference for Blu-ray movies and hardware in purchases, Wal-Mart said in a statement.The retailer will phase out HD DVD offerings in Wal-Mart and Sam&#39;s Clubs retail stores, as well as online offerings, by June, the company said.Wal-Mart&#39;s rejection of HD DVD is a sign that Blu-ray is catching on with retailers. Best Buy earlier this week said it would recommend users to buy Blu-ray products, though it would continue offering HD DVD products. Movie rental chains Netflix and Blockbuster recently abandoned HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray DVD offerings.Six of eight major movie studios publish Blu-ray DVDs, including Walt Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Sony, and Warner Bros. Only two major movie studios, Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, publish in the HD DVD format.The Blu-ray format has also seen a spate of victories in the gaming and consumer electronics industries with companies like Philips adopting the format over HD DVD.Blu-ray supporters include Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung, while Toshiba, Microsoft, and Intel are among the companies supporting HD DVD.
566679
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES  - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.   on Tuesday introduced a test version of its new video  download service, making it the first major retailer to offer  such a service with the backing of all of Hollywood's big  studios.
613387
Warner Bros., the only major movie studio to release titles on both of the rival high-definition video disc formats, has decided to drop HD DVD and exclusively back Blu-ray Disc, it said Friday.
380975
NEW YORK -- With dominance of the market for high-definition movie discs still up in the air, Sony Corp. said today that it is including a small surprise with the new Blu-ray disc player it is shipping this week: a price tag $100 lower than previously announced.
499558
What many saw coming officially arrives on Tuesday with an announcement by Toshiba that it will no longer make HD DVD players, ceding the field to Blu-ray.
530065
The beginning of the end for the high def format? Paramount Studios could soon drop its support of HD DVD following Warner's recent backing of Sony's Blu-ray technology, effectively killing off HD-DVD and bring the format war to a definitive end.â¦
281245
Toshiba has hammered another nail in the Blu-Ray coffin, by announcing a dual layer HD-DVD and DVD disc. This means that studios will be able to sell discs that have the DVD version on one side and the HD-DVD
217797
Another Blu-ray player price cut is on the way.
763987
U.S. video rental chain  Blockbuster Inc.  has come out in favor of the Blu-ray  DVD format disc, tipping the balance against the rival HD DVD  in the battle over next-generation discs.