With a format war over next-generation DVDs brewing, studios seem to think putting one foot in both camps is the safest course of action: yesterday, Warner Brothers put an end to rumors and became the latest studio to announce it planned to release movies and other video content in both Toshiba’s HD DVD format and Sony’s Blu-Ray format. Warner Bros. apparently began considering the move after rival studio Paramount announced it would support both DVD formats late last month.
The move comes as another blow to Toshiba’s HD DVD format, which despite high-profile backing from industry titans Microsoft and Intel, has suffered a series of public relations gaffes and defections from the consortium of supporting developers and content providers. However, since neither HD DVD nor Blu-Ray products are currently available in the mass market, some industry watchers feel it’s still too early to declare a winner. Computer maker Hewlett-Packard, a Blu-Ray supporter, recently added fuel to the fire by asking the Blu-Ray Disc Association to include two technologies
