Microsoft says no Blu-ray for Xbox

Microsoft Corp is not in talks to include Sony Corp's Blu-ray high-definition DVD technology in its Xbox 360 video game console, an executive said on Wednesday. The comments by Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, poured cold water on recent speculation that Microsoft could support Blu-ray after Toshiba Corp, backer of the rival HD DVD format, gave up when key movie studios and retailers abandoned the technology. (Reuters)

Another DVD Format, but This One Says It’s Cheaper

A new system that is incompatible with Blu-ray, called HD VMD, for versatile multilayer disc, is trying to find a niche. New Medium Enterprises, the London company behind HD VMD, says its system’s quality is equal to Blu-ray’s but it costs less. (NY Times, DigitalMediaWire)

Paramount seals Blu-ray sweep

All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray Disc camp, a day after Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-gen game in town. Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday: "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," the statement reads. (Hollywood Reporter)

Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say

Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May. Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. (Hollywood Reporter, Financial Times)

Format war reworks 1980s video fight

The race to succeed the DVD between Blu-ray, backed by Sony, and HD-DVD, backed by Toshiba and Microsoft, mirrors the VHS-Betamax format war of the 1980s. When VHS triumphed over Betamax, the victory inspired a surge in consumer spending on home video, forming a lucrative fresh revenue stream for Hollywood. (Financial Times)

Analysis: Looks like Blu-ray Finally Have Won the High Def War

It looks like this year’s Consumer Electronics Show might be remembered for Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray disc winning the high def disc format war. With Warner (NYSE: TWX) announcing that they are going exclusively with Blu-ray and rumors that Paramount will do the same, it might just be checkmate for Toshiba's HDDVD format. (Digital Media Wire)