Posted by Rich on 12/24/03 11:28

n a new twist to the battle over next-generation DVDs, US movie giant
Paramount Home Entertainment said it will support Sony's Blu-ray
format while also making DVDs for Toshiba's rival technology.

Paramount will begin releasing content in North America, Japan and
Europe suitable for the Blu-ray hardware after its launch, the unit of
global media giant Viacom said in a statement received here.

The US studio has previously announced its support for a rival format
promoted by Toshiba, called HD DVD, while other Hollywood studios are
split in their support for the two technologies.

Paramount said it hoped to take advantage of Blu-ray technology in the
PlayStation3, the latest model of the hugely successful games console
which will be launched next year by Sony, a key promoter of Blu-ray.

Blu-ray is vying with a Toshiba-led group promoting the HD DVD format,
in a replay of the video format rivalry a generation ago between VHS
and Sony's ill-fated Betamax, which eventually lost out as customers
opted for its rival.

Among Hollywood studios, Walt Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment
back Blu-ray, while HD DVD supporters include Universal Pictures and
Warner Brothers Studios.

Next-generation DVDs, expected to hit the mass market later this year,
are billed as offering cinematic quality images and opening up new
possibilities in interactive entertainment.

Hollywood studios, who could ultimately decide the fate of the two
formats, are divided in their support for Toshiba or Sony.

Sony's Blu-ray disc is expected to have a greater storage capacity
than the HD DVD but also to be more expensive to make, at least in the
short term, as the format has greater differences from
current-generation DVDs.

Other supporters of the Blu-ray technology include Apple Computer,
Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics.

HD DVD's backers include US technology giants Microsoft and Intel,
Japanese electronics group NEC, France's Thomson and Fuji Photo Film.

© 2005 AFP

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