Fox, MGM reaffirm Blu-Ray support as Paramount, Dreamworks back HD DVD @ Gaming Target

Written by Matt Swider on August 21, 2007

News: The format war wages on.

The battle to become the one-and-only successor to DVD intensified this week as Paramount and Dreamworks announced that they will support HD DVD exclusively, while Fox renewed support of rival Blu-Ray as its chosen high-definition movie format.

The Paramount and Dreamworks deal will bring movies like Transformers and Shrek the Third to HD DVD, which was created by Toshiba and is supported by its standalone players as well as by Microsoft through an Xbox 360 high-definition player add-on. It won't extend to films from Steven Spielberg due to the fact that the director wants his movies released on both types of disc. The studio's exclusivity deal starts with Blades of Glory on August 28.

Previously, Paramount supported both HD DVD and Blu-Ray formats. But, the studio sees HD DVD as a cheaper and more feature-rich heir to the DVD market. Paramount's HD DVD commitment comes at a time when the format is being outsold by Blu-Ray 2-to-1. The company feels that the low price (currently, the Xbox 360 HD DVD accessory retails for $179) and strong HD DVD lineup could change all that.

20th Century Fox feels differently. The film company's home entertainment division and MGM distribution label laid out a total of 29 Blu-Ray movies to hit stores by the end of this year, including Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Live Free or Die Hard. Both will go on sale for Blu-Ray on the same date as their standard DVD release. The same treatment is being given to Fox's serial television drama Prison Break. Unlike the multi-disc TV-to-DVD set, the high-definition SKU should make way for a more condensed disc compilation in TV-to-Blu-Ray format, even though the name doesn't sound as snazzy.

Fox sees Blu-Ray, which was created by Sony and is supported by standalone players and its own PlayStation 3, outpacing HD DVD as the primary reason to back Sony's higher capacity format.

Since you won't be able to buy movies like Transformers on Blu-Ray and Superbad on HD DVD, LG's combo player isn't look like such a bad idea after all.