Paramount and Universal will be free from HD-DVD this week.

Toshiba Corp. is expected to pull out of the HD DVD business early this week, people familiar with the situation said, marking the end of one of the biggest and most-expensive format battles in the electronics industry since the VHS format's defeat of Betamax nearly three decades ago.

The decision makes Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray technology the de facto standard for high-definition DVD players, which can show movies with crisp images on big, flat-panel digital televisions. Sony declined to comment.

Since Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. decided last month to support Blu-ray exclusively, sales of Blu-ray players and movies have gained momentum, putting pressure on Toshiba.

"Sales have been hurt since Warner's decision, and we are considering different options," Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Oomori said, though he added that nothing had been decided at this point.

If Toshiba withdraws from the HD DVD business, Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures, both of which support the format exclusively, would be immediately released from their commitments, one of the people familiar with the situation said. Warner Bros., which is obligated to sell HD DVD movies through May under its contract, would also be freed from those terms.

Of course Sarah McBride is being Captain Obvious

[decapitator]

I will take one Transformer on Blu please. Well the war was fun whiles it lasted it. Whiles it was annoying to see fanboys cursing each other, it was something very funny.

Oh btw, Ken Kutaragi redeemed. The inclusion of BD in PS3 seems to have been one of the best decisions that Sony has made.

EDIT: Oh I will gladly take American Gangster as well.

[marinelife9]

I'm expecting to hear that Ken Graffeo is fired from Universal any day now.

[sonarus]

i dnt even want transformers only want 2 universal movies bourne and american gangster at least for now. Can't really think of any paramount movies i want. The blu ray movies i really want are the classics like pulp fiction kill bill, star wars all 6 of them, lord of the rings. I think movies like these have the power to be "system sellers/blu ray seller". Studios need to release these mega titles to drive hardware sales. They need to provide more incentive for consumers to switch to blu ray. Best buy and blockbuster are doing the right thing they need to be pushing blu ray really hard showing the difference between blu ray and standard dvd/ up converted dvd's. The more they show the more consumers start to get into it, as more consumers get in they start recommending to their friends and they can sit back from there.

[marinelife9]

I want Beowulf, American Gangster, and Transformers.

[Joey Gladstone]

that reminds me of that particular scene from Mars attacks....but back on topic...Toshiba please make the smart Business decision, and cut your losses, save a little face, and at least be remembered for going down honorably....
....
.....
......"The JOEY has Spoken"

[GodsHand]

I know, thats the sign of war.

[sonarus]

lol in mars attacks

[Marceles]

*media pokes dead HD-DVD body with a stick*

[gEnKiE]

Who would of thought that a decision made by Warner to go Blu would impact the war as much as it has. HD-DVD just got slaughtered by that decision. Definitely has to be a sad defeat for Toshiba's sake. They just keep getting pounded with loses.

R.I.P. HD-DVD

[NitrogenB]

Netflix, Best Buy and a couple of other companies was the icing I think. Because those aren't movie companies, they're just retailers.

[Wereturd]

HD-DVD's scalp is now placed alongside the Dreamcast, Gamecube and Xbox in a predator-style trophy cabinet behind Krazy Ken's desk.

[Keyser]

Bubbles for the Predator reference and cracking me the eff up!

[sephy 9 2 5]

Comment of the day.

[blacsheep]

bluray inclusion not just for movies but also for games in the ps3 was in a word 'genius'

sony once again you prove the doubters wrong, ps3 sales are rocketing

i am pleased i stuck with my purchase even when 360 fanboys (not 360 gamers theres a big difference between the two!) were rubbing it in

he who laughs last does indeed laugh best! damn my ribs hurt

[pwnsause]

thats what I have been saying over again PS3 was the reason why HD-DVD got pwned. Toshiba has learned their lesson about consoles. They are not "toys" to begin with, they are the center of the entertainment system.

[sonarus]

blu ray inclusion believe it or not was more to the benefit of sony and not gamers. Blu ray came in last and without ps3 they wouldnt have been able to gain any momentum on hd-dvd. The advantage for games is still there this is how it was justified but the primary reason for blu ray inclusion in ps3 was so blu ray can emerge as the standard hi def format.

[NitrogenB]

...yeah, ok?

[pwnsause]

wow that would be awesome, Warner would immediately drop the Format Before May if Toshiba kills it. That means they can concentrate on Blu-Ray at %100 percent

[Anything but Cute]

It's been the main reason for all this and it's been dominating Blu ray player sales.

I mean, something has to happen. Because what if Blu ray gets as big as DVD and everyone who in interested in a Blu ray player buys a PS3, instead of a Samsung or something?

PS3 sales could be great, even if a lot of the buyers aren't buying it for games. But you never know, they could go for some games also. I mean some people bought a PS3 for games and went for some blu ray movies along the way. Same can happen maybe, people buy it for movies and end up going for some games.

I'm not making any statements here, just questioning possibilities. I never thought of this before, I always thought if Blu ray was going to win, it would be because of Stand Alone players.

But I never thought the format war could end this fast.

[Anything but Cute]

That I know that post is wacky and far fetched. That's why I have to mention, I'm not making any statements or predictions. The truth is, I don't understand myself, no one really does. I'm just tying to grasp what Blu ray's victory could or could not mean for PS3.

[mighty_douche]

Transformers Blu-Ray baby!!

[Meus Renaissance]

Paramount were smart lol. $150million pay-day.

[Wereturd]

What happens to that contract I wonder? Probably becomes null and void.

[MK_Red]

Probably. If Paramount indeed goes blu this week then not only that money will become kinda like their bonus, they'll also be filling their pockets with the cash from sales of Transformers and Shrek 3 on Blu-ray along with the rest of their previously HD-DVD exclusive films.

[decapitator]

Is all in the game. Thats business.

[Karebear]

LOL! I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if they still get the money? I wonder if the that one lump sum profit was worth the lost blu-ray revenue?

Questions we'll never know the answer to. It would be funny to take an offer like than then do your best to torpedo your own format just for the money.

[marinelife9]

150 million for roughly six months of exclusivity. They made out like bandits. Good job Paramount.