As one of the only studios supporting both Blu-ray and HD DVD, Warner Bros. has remained on the high definition fence for some time now. That's about to change. In a move that some analysts say could be fatal for Toshiba's HD DVD camp, the studio will ditch the latter format in May and release its movies exclusively on Blu-ray.
Chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers Barry Meyer characterized the move as a long-term strategic decision; one that he hopes will put an end to the standoff between the two high-definition formats.
"Warner Brothers' 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," Meyer said in a statement on Friday. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."
Perhaps a tad hastily, Pali Research's Richard Greenfield said that he expects HD DVD to "die a quick death," noting that NBC Universal has not committed to backing HD DVD exclusively. Furthermore, he says that while Paramount and Dreamworks do have exclusive deals with the backers of HD DVD, there could very well be a few escape causes hidden somewhere in those deals.
Whether this truly does mark the beginning of the end of HD DVD remains to be seen. So-called "death blows" by one format to the other have been curiously common over the past year and a half. But make no mistake, the fallout from the Warner Bros. decision is very real. Upon hearing the news, Toshiba's competing HD DVD group canceled a series of press events at this week's CES.
Here's what the group has to say in a statement released on Saturday:
Death Blow? Maybe not. A zinger of a left jab? Definitely.
