Warner Studios Put The Nail In Now Paramount Are Banging The Coffin Shut!

Hot on the heels of Warner Studios decision to withdraw their support for the HD DVD system in favour of Blu-Ray, there is strong speculation that Paramount Pictures are set to follow suit over the next few days.  Many are expecting an announcement as early as today, an announcement which will bang shut the coffin on HD DVD once and for all.

The whole Blu-Ray – HD DVD saga has been very reminiscent of the VHS – Betamax battle of the 1980s, but this most recent of battles has been concluded over a much shorter time span – a reflection of how quicker the technology market moves now, when compared to 20 years ago.  So what about all of the companies who have initiated massive investment programs into HD DVD?

The sad truth for these companies is that their investment is now dead money, with very little hope of any kind of return.  While it will take some time for HD DVD to actually fade into the back ground the truth of the matter is that the format is finished.  The big players in the market have deserted, investment in the venture will be curtailed from now and ultimately there will be no consumer demand for a product which supports a non-industry wide format.

There are many in the market who would have bet their homes on Microsoft coming out on top of this battle, but some how they have managed to let the situation slip through their fingers.  Of course it was not only Microsoft who were behind the project, we had / have big players like Toshiba who have only just recently released an HD DVD compatible laptop.  Even though the battle has not lasted too long it has been very expensive for the losers, in financial terms as well as reputation.