Blu-Ray Format Movie Disks are the Apparent Victor Over HD DVD Format

Well, after many debates and entertainment companies taking sides, touting the benefits of one high-def video format over the other, the format wars are now essentially over. HD DVD players are now about to get a whole lot cheaper.

The apparent demise of HD DVD, leaving the Blu-Ray format movie disks the apparent victor, is being reported all over the globe in entertainment industry newspapers and web columns.

The news comes after several interesting developments have come to light in recent weeks.

Just a week ago online movie rental provider Netflix announced that it would be dropping the HD DVD format due to lagging rentals and would switch exclusively to Blu-Ray.

"From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers who want high-definition to be an important part of how they enjoy our service." said Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos in an official media release.

HD DVD's woes stretch back at least to the beginning of the year.

Back in early January entertainment giant Warner Bros. Film, a division of Time Warner, announced that it would switch exclusively to the Blu-Ray video disk format. This left the door open for speculation that HD DVD was beginning to loose it's footing in the format wars that had been raging since the advent of High-Def video technology.

The collective HD DVD Promotion Group released a statement shortly after Warner's announcement which stated in part: "While Warner's decision is a setback for HD DVD, the consumer has benefited from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability -- a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format. We believe widespread adoption of a next generation format will ultimately be determined by the consumer."

The hurt kept coming when only two days after the Warner Bros. announcement, Disney revealed its upcoming releases list for 2008, exclusively in the Blu-Ray format.