The stalemate in the war between the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD high-definition DVD formats tipped in Blu-Ray’s favour when Warner Bros. announced yesterday that it will only produce Blu-Ray discs and regular DVDs, starting in May 2008. Until then, Warner will continue to issue discs in all three formats.
Warner indicated that its decision was in response to consumer demand. Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, made the announcement, saying that:
“The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.”
Warner’s decision also puts an end to its proposal to develop a disc designed to support both formats.
Warner joins others such as 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, New Line, Sony Pictures and Walt Disney as Blu-Ray-exclusive studios. That leaves only Paramount Pictures and NBC Universal as the two sole studios releasing their films in the HD-DVD format.
On a side note, many expect that Apple, a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, could announce the addition of Blu-Ray drives to at least some of its desktop and notebook computers at Macworld 2008.