LOS ANGELES -- Having gained the endorsement of Warner Bros., Burbank, Calif., and Paramount, Hollywood, Calif., this month, the proposed Blu-ray format is being declared the winner over HD DVD in an anticipated battle to replace DVD as the video format of choice. Warner and Paramount have endorsed both formats, but Blu-ray now has more studios on board, including Fox, Lions Gate, Disney and Sony Pictures. Sony's Tokyo-based parent is one of the primary backers of the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray picked up momentum after HP, Palo Alto, Calif., proposed changes to the format with certain specifications from HD DVD. Shortly after, Ted Schadler, an analyst with Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass., declared that Blu-ray had prevailed over HD DVD. Many in the video industry have said that such agreement was essential if a new DVD format is to succeed.
