Warner Brothers Most Likely Just Ended High Definition Format War

Well, nuts. It looks like I backed the wrong horse. Warner Brothers announced today that they will be shifting their high definition plan and moving exclusively to the Blu-ray side of things. Previously the studio was one of the few who was still backing both formats, preferring not to take sides, but the tide has turned. After May 2008, the studio won’t be supporting HD DVD at all.

The studio claims the move comes in response to consumer purchases. Most likely the studio started looking at the sales from the holiday season. As Warner Brothers Home Entertainment president Kevin Tsujihara said in the announcement today, “A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry. Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience.” Well, that’s great, but what about those of us who did side with HD DVD?

Don’t get me wrong. I knew what I was getting into when I bought into the HD DVD side of things. I knew there was a format war, and there was a 50% chance that I wouldn’t be buying the right side. The bitterness will fade… in time.

For now, Paramount and Universal remain as the sole HD DVD providers, with Disney, Fox, Sony, and now Warner Brothers on the Blu-ray side. I hate to call out doom for the format, but, looking at my DVD shelf, most of the HD titles I’ve picked up have been Warner Brothers. With the studio shift, I’d expect HD DVD to start going into death throes by the second quarter of the year, if not sooner.