James Delahunty
2 Oct 2005 18:58
Paramount is playing it safe for now as the next generation format war continues to heat up. The company has said in a statement that while it is backing the Blu-Ray format, it will release movies in both the Blu-Ray format and the HD-DVD format. The reason for this is simple; the company would like for its customers to have a choice and not be forced into accepting just one format for Paramount movies.
It is likely that other movie studios will follow in Paramount's footsteps. If Toshiba is first to release HD-DVD players around the world, then those studios backing Blu-Ray would want to start worrying that more and more consumers might adopt HD-DVD early and stick with that format after BD discs and players are released.
President of Paramount Pictures, Thomas Lesinski, said that Sony's decision to use Blu-Ray in the upcoming PlayStation 3 console was a major point for Blu-Ray. Last week, Microsoft and Intel joined the supporters of HD-DVD, adding more weight to the format war.
Sources:
New York Times
Mercury News