Blockbuster favors Blu-ray DVDs to HD DVD
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U.S. video rental chain Blockbuster Inc. on Monday said more customers prefer Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray DVD format to its rival HD DVD, and it will expand its inventory of the high definition discs to a total of 1,700 stores up from 250.
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12/29/04- Blockbuster is stepping up the pressure in its bid to take over rival video rental chain Hollywood Video. Blockbuster says it will present its $11.50-per-share offer for Hollywood Entertainment directly
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Blockbuster Inc. is offering lower-priced plans for online movie rentals as it competes with Netflix Inc. in a market that it said could grow 43 percent this year.
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The Blu-ray win means consumers seeking sharper movies on high-definition DVDs no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax.
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In an escalating battle for online subscribers, Blockbuster Inc. on Wednesday undercut its smaller rival Netflix Inc. by unveiling a lower subscription fee for DVD rentals.
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Time Warner Inc's Warner  Bros studio on Friday said it would exclusively release  high-definition DVDs in Sony Corp's Blu-ray format, dealing a  big blow to Toshiba Corp's rival HD DVD technology.
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Blockbuster has a nice big Christmas gift for movie fans. The video chain is finally dumping its late fees. Forget about rushing back to the store with those DVDs, videotapes and games.
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Blockbuster Inc said on Thursday it  will raise prices for its Total Access subscription plans and  lower prices for two DVD By Mail plans in an effort to pare  losses and boost subscribers.
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Warner Bros., the only major movie studio to release titles on both of the rival high-definition video disc formats, has decided to drop HD DVD and exclusively back Blu-ray Disc, it said Friday.The move could prove decisive in determining which of the two formats becomes the de facto DVD replacement for high-definition content. Currently, both formats are battling to secure a lead, but neither has managed to obtain a meaningful market share due to consumer indifference as a consequence of the battle. As a result, the market for high-definition movies has seen its growth stunted, and companies like Warner have lost potential sales.Warner said the decision was made in part as a response to this situation.&quot;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,&quot; said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner&#39;s home entertainment group in a statement.The move comes on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off on Monday in Las Vegas, and is sure to light a fire under the HD DVD camp, which is chiefly backed by Toshiba and also includes Paramount, Universal, HBO Video, Microsoft, and Intel. The HD DVD Promotion Group has a previously scheduled news conference on Sunday, and the rival Blu-ray Disc group is scheduled to speak the following day.Companies from both sides of the format battle are expected to show their latest players and talk up their own formats during CES.Last year&#39;s CES saw the unveiling by Warner of a hybrid disc called Total HD. The disc attempted to break the format deadlock by offering one side compatible with HD DVD and the other side compatible with Blu-ray Disc. However, the disc never made it to market, and Warner gave up on the hybrid format later in 2007.
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The backers of Blu-ray discs predict victory in the format wars with HD DVD after Warner Bros backed them.
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Blockbuster Inc. is offering lower-priced plans for online movie rentals as it competes with Netflix Inc. in a market that some analysts say could grow more than 40 percent this year.
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While the Xbox currently supports Toshiba's HD DVD format, a Microsoft official today said the company would consider changing over to Blu-ray if consumers want it.
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Sony Corp. on Tuesday hailed US movie rental leader Blockbuster&#39;s decision to expand inventory of its Blu-ray format, giving it a new edge in the battle to set the standard for next-generation DVDs.
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Universal Pictures is among the first Hollywood studios to announce its support for HD DVD, the high-definition optical disc format backed by a coalition of technology companies led by Toshiba.
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Blu-ray DVD titles outsold rival  HD-DVD titles by almost 2-to-1 in the first nine months of the  year, but analysts expect additional HD-DVD support and new hit  releases to "transform" the high-definition DVD battle score in  the fourth quarter.
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Warner Bros. Entertainment said yesterday that it will release high-definition movie discs only in the Blu-ray format, rejecting the rival HD DVD format and creating another complication for consumers.
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Blockbuster Inc., which has been losing money on online movie orders, is boosting prices of its DVD-by-mail service for new customers and some existing ones by up to 40 percent.