Two Hollywood studios on Tuesday started shipping DVDs in the high definition format, ushering in a new era of home viewing and a multi-billion dollar DVD standards war that has left Hollywood and the electronics industry divided.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video on Tuesday together shipped a total of 3 titles in the HD DVD format, championed by Toshiba Corp, weeks ahead of the launch of rival Blu-ray format, created by Sony Corp.
Both Blu-ray and HD DVD offer more capacity than current DVDs, but the groups' failure to reach a unified front has paved the way for a costly battle in the $24 billion home video market, like the VHS/Betamax war of 25 years ago that caused widespread customer confusion.
"A lot is to be said about getting it to market sooner, but it's the question of what you are going to play on it that matters," said Andy Parsons, a spokesman for Blu-ray, noting the majority of Hollywood's major studios have thrown their support behind Blu-ray.
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