Blockbuster favors Blu-ray DVDs to HD DVD
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U.S. video rental chain Blockbuster Inc. on Monday said more customers prefer Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray DVD format to its rival HD DVD, and it will expand its inventory of the high definition discs to a total of 1,700 stores up from 250.
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Keep that copy of Shrek 2 an extra week. Heck, keep it forever: Blockbuster Inc. announced yesterday that the ubiquitous rental chain is letting customers hold onto movie and game
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The Blu-ray win means consumers seeking sharper movies on high-definition DVDs no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax.
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Blockbuster Inc., the largest U.S.  video rental chain, on Thursday said it has contacted Hollywood  Entertainment Corp. about acquiring its top rival for $700  million.
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Toshiba announced an aggressive campaign to bolster its HD DVD movie disc format against Sony-backed Blu-ray technology, cutting prices on players to as low as $149.99.
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Fears of a recession and poor DVD sales played into Warner Bros's decision to back Blu-ray Disc over HD DVD for a high definition DVD format.
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Warner Brothers, the only studio to back both high-definition video disk formats, now will only publish movies in Blu-ray. Some say this shift will quickly kill the competing HD DVD format.
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CHICAGO  - Blockbuster Inc. , the largest U.S. video rental chain, on Thursday said it has contacted Hollywood Entertainment Corp.  about acquiring its top rival for $700 million.
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Warner Bros. Entertainment said Friday it will release high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray disc format, becoming the latest studio to reject the rival HD DVD technology and further complicating the high-definition landscape for consumers.
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Backers of the Blu-ray high definition DVD system receive a twin boost in their format war with HD DVD.
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Blockbuster Inc.  on Monday put its weight behind Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray DVD format, as the No. 1 video rental chain said it would boost its inventory of the high-definition discs to 1,700 stores by mid-July.
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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.
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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 .
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Video chain Blockbuster Inc (BBI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said it would lower the price of its online DVD rentals to undercut a similar move by Netflix Inc.
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Blockbuster Inc. , the top U.S. movie rental chain, said on Wednesday it is willing to raise its bid for Hollywood Entertainment Corp. , a rival that has two other suitors looking to buy it.
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Blockbuster is offering lower-priced plans for online movie rentals to compete with Netflix.
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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.