[This article was first published in the August, 2007, issue of
Larry's Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]

The Los Angeles Times reported today (8/21/07) that Dreamworks SKG and Paramount are now exclusively releasing HD-DVD titles. (Steven Spielberg's films are not included in this announcement, as Sony will be releasing them in Blu-Ray format.)

They join with Universal and Warner Brothers in supporting HD-DVD.

In the Blu-Ray camp are Disney, Lions Gate, MGM, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers (playing both sides of the street).

While Blu-Ray disks have been selling slightly better than HD-DVD, both formats combined sold 3.2 million titles from Jan. 1 thru Aug. 12, while standard DVDs sold close to 500 million. However, 90% of Blu-Ray discs are being played on Sony PlayStation 3 equipment, indicating that stand-alone Blu-Ray players are not selling well.

The principal reason cited for supporting HD-DVD were that HD-DVD players were less expensive than Blu-Ray.

This announcement means that any possibility for standardizing on one format is still a long way away. If your goal is to make money on HD DVD sales, well, for the short-term, you will need a Plan B.

Larry Jordan is a post-production consultant and an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media with over 25 years experience as producer, director and editor with network, local and corporate credits. Based in Los Angeles, he's a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

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