Warner Bros rumoured to be ditching HD DVD

Will the studio announce single format status at CES?

8 December 2007 15:22 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Warner Bros could soon announce they will be ditching support for HD DVD and going just with Blu-ray according to Business Week magazine.

The comment piece, which pulls rumours from the Internet and its own sources suggests that both Toshiba and Sony are attempting to woo Warner with an announcement as soon as CES at the start of January.

"The rumour is that Warner is coming aboard soon", Michael Burns, vice-chairman of studio Lionsgate (LGF) told the magazine. "That will make it awfully tough for HD DVD to stay in this game."

According to the article published on 6 December, if Warner were to announce the sole backing of the Blu-ray format, that combined with support from Disney, Fox, and Sony, would mean Blu-ray would control around 70% of the market.

It goes on to warn however, that "On the other hand, if Toshiba were to win Warner's hand, the two forces would divide the market between them. That could create mass consumer confusion and potentially strangle a new technology that the studios hope will give a lift to flagging DVD sales".

Pocket-lint will be live at CES in Las Vegas. Show coverage will start on 6 January 2008.