Warner re-evaluating dual-format support

Warner re-evaluating dual-format support

The interwebs are all abuzz today over anticipation of what could be the end of the format war as we know it – Home Media Magazine reports that Warner Bros. VP Dan Silverberg has said change may be in the works.

“One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

The HD DVD supporters are claiming his statement about affordable hardware leans WB to the red camp. However he mentions both formats are affordable now. Another rumor spreading around in favor of HD DVD is that Warner didn’t renew their membership in the Blu-ray Disc Alliance. There is nothing but message board chatter about that so it’s highly-suspect in the face of Warner being a patent holder on BD technology.

On the other side of the trenches, the Blu-ray guys are pointing to another quote from the same Home Media article where Silverberg says, “We can definitely talk Blu-ray – we are committed to the format” while talking about how well the BD version of 300 has been selling. However, considering he was at a Blu-ray event he’s bound to say that. Even Paramount was talking about the advanced features of Blu-ray the week before they dropped BD support. Paramount even replicated Blades of Glory for Blu-ray due released that week and sent them to reviewers before pulling that back and only releasing HD DVD to retailers.

If anything is certain it is the immaturity and loyalty exhibited by the supports of both sides and the futile peacemaking efforts of the “purples” (as dual-format supporters are known). This retarded “war” is all a farce which should have been avoided in 2005 when both sides walked away from the bargaining table leaving this mind-numbing business to people like me.