By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Warner Home Video Australia has denied a BusinessWeek report that its US parent could decide to support only one format, likely Blu-ray, dependent on sales for each this quarter – a switch that could have tipped the balance in the HD format war.
A switch would have seen Blu-ray capture nearly 70 per cent of the US market compared to its current 49 per cent share.
In an official statement, Warner Brothers Home Video Australia and New Zealand managing director Roger Clarke said, the company’s global position had not changed and they would continue to support both HD DVD and Blu-ray for the foreseeable future.
“Our position hasn’t changed and certainly any comments that were published in the US were not intended to suggest that we had changed our stance. We support both formats and we have not made any decision towards that policy and nor are any such announcements planned or in the pipeline,” he said.
“In terms of the short-term scenarios around the Q4 sales results, Warner Brothers are always reviewing our strategies and we can’t say what might happen in five or ten years, but for now, there’s been no decision made to change course.”
He said both formats would be supported, with big titles such as the upcoming new Batman film, The Dark Knight, due out in cinemas early next year, out on both formats by mid next year.