Japanese press say the Blu-ray format has gained the advantage in the battle for next-generation DVD supremacy. This news comes after Warner Bros announced that it will back the Blu-ray DVD format exclusively. Warner Bros is Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs.Only Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures are expected to continue supporting the HD-DVD format. Blu-ray will enjoy exclusive support from four of the six major movie studios in Hollywood.
The Blu-ray's major US supporters include Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and movie rental leader Blockbuster. Japanese electronics firm Panasonic and South Korean giant Samsung also express preference for Blu-ray.
This war of incompatible formats is reminiscent of the VHS-Betamax (two types of video cassette tape) battle during the late 1970s.
Confusing to consumers, this recent development makes buyers less eager in buying next generation machines with DVD firms missing out on lucrative opportunities.
Japanese electronics group Toshiba used to rule the DVD format with the HD-DVD. Recent developments imply the difficulty for Toshiba to regain momentum among consumers.
Nevertheless, HD-DVD receives support from DreamWorks Animation and various high-tech firms including Microsoft and Intel. With this, Toshiba is now expected to further promote the installation of HD-DVD drives in personal computers to exploit the niche of users who watch movies on their PCs.
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