Last HD DVD-Only Studio Goes Blu-Ray

As expected, Paramount—the final big movie studio to exclusively support the defeated HD DVD format—has jumped to Blu-ray. That said, several new HD DVD titles are still on tap for the coming months.

Paramount, the studio that released such blockbusters as "Transformers" and the "Mission: Impossible" movies, told the Hollywood Reporter (via High-Def Digest) that it will "look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray" and that "we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plan accordingly." Vague words, although Reuters notes that both Paramount and newly-Blu Universal will probably begin cranking out Blu-ray titles by "late spring or early summer."

Paramount's move represents quite a reversal for both the studio and the HD DVD format itself. The movie house initially supported both Blu-ray and HD DVD; last August, however, Paramount and its subsidiary, Dreamworks, surprised the industry by jumping to HD DVD exclusively, a maneuver that evened up the format war and dealt a major blow to the Blu-ray camp. But in January, Blu-ray regained the lead by wooing format-neutral studio Warner Brothers, and the rest is history.

While all the big movie studios are now aligned with Blu-ray, that doesn't mean that there aren't any HD DVD titles left in the pipe. Indeed, Warners has confirmed that it will continue pressing HD DVD movies through May, and a quick look at the HD DVD release schedule shows upcoming titles such as "Beowolf," "The Assassination of Jesse James," and "The Brave One" this month, "Into the Wild," "No Reservations," "Michael Clayton," "Bee Movie," and "In the Valley of Elah" in March, and "I Am Legend" in April. Not exactly an avalanche of movies, mind you, but hey—for those of us stuck with HD DVD players, it's something.

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Paramount Goes Blu [High-Def Digest]