There's a Singing Fat Lady Here to See You, Sir.
Lot of good that $2.7 million HD DVD Super Bowl ad did. This morning, online DVD rental pioneer Netflix, which has stocked both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats since they first came to market in early 2006, said it is dropping HD DVD. Quite a blow to the HD DVD camp–which, after a number of high-profile defections, is supported by just two major studios, Paramount Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
And not for much longer, says Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer. “The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition,” Sarandos said. “We’re now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def.”