HD-DVD votaries unite to push the format aggressively

HD-DVD votaries unite to push the format aggressively

Companies who are votaries of HD-DVD movies have agreed to push them aggressively at the Computer Electronics Show (CES), which begins Thursday in Las Vegas.

Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, New Line Entertainment, Warner Home Video and HBO Video joined hands with Toshiba Wednesday to launch a HD-DVD Promotion Group Wednesday.

Last week at a press meet in Las Vegas, Toshiba announced plans to launch a couple of players in retail stores in the US.

Warner Home Video (WHV) also announced slew of titles of movies in DVD format which include popular films like 'Batman Begins' and 'The Matrix' among others.

WHV president Ron Sanders said they have a "confirmed list" of 24 titles, which will be released, in the market starting March 28 "in conjunction with the initial deliveries of HD-DVD players."

Universal Studios Home Video, which swears only by HD-DVD format has 10 titles that it will release including 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Jarhead'.

The successor in high-definition format to DVD Blu-ray is also making its presence felt though with all the big video companies barring Universal promoting them. In fact, three of them exclusively support this new format.

200 titles are to be released in the high definition format by the end of this year. The other popular titles to be released also include 'Million Dollar Baby', 'Blazing Saddles', 'Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire' and 'Full Metal Jacket' to name a few.

According to Nancy O'Dell, the host of Access Hollywood and a TV celebrity who was a master of ceremonies at the promotional event at the Consumer Electronics Show, these studios together produced more than half of movies ever made.

Also joining the bandwagon are Studio Canal and the Weinstein Co. from Europe said the HD DVD Promotion Group.

Yoshiihide Fujii, CEO of the Digital Media Network Co. of Toshiba, said: “HD DVD is now playing. HD DVD delivers a quantum leap in how consumers view video.”