Paramount may return to the Blu-ray fold

Paramount may return to the Blu-ray fold

It is being reported by the Financial Times (subscription required) that Paramount is ready to move back to Blu-ray and drop HD DVD support. It is rumored that Paramount and Dreamworks Animation have opt-out clauses in their agreements with HD DVD and they’re preparing to exercise them.

I don’t usually report on rumors because I don’t like feeding the machine, but being reported in such a well-respected publication as Financial Times really changes the face of this rumor. Even if Paramount does go back to releasing on Blu-ray, we at WesleyTech speculate that they will probably keep supporting HD DVD at least as long as Warner (through May). Financial Times is saying they will drop HD DVD altogether.

Universal headed to Blu-ray as well?

On a related note, The Digital Bits had reported they had a source “second to none” confirming Universal was also planning on moving to Blu-ray but that post was taken down. Perhaps it was at the urging of Universal? In any event, the reception to Warner’s announcement seems like everyone was just waiting for it to happen and fully expected this. It’s like everyone was just too politically correct to say they expected Blu-ray to win by taking the “wait and see” approach. With 80% of the consumer electronics market and 70% of the Hollywood studios supporting Blu-ray exclusively, it really seems as if there is no war to speak of – if anything it’s an insurgency. Regardless, we here at WesleyTech will continue to report on both HD DVD and Blu-ray, the same as we’ve always done.