A Best Buy spokesman in Texas was quoted as saying all HD-DVD equipment was sold out almost as soon as it hit the shelves.
The biggest boon to the survival of HD-DVD is that sales of high-definition TVs have skyrocketed. Users would need an HD TV to take advantage of all the functions on an HD-DVD disc. Experts predict the sales of HD TVs will eclipse that of standard TV sets.
Sony’s competing Blu-ray DVDs and hardware are expected to hit stores in May. Many movie studios and retailers are approaching the rival formats with a wary eye, but have publicly supported Blu-ray. Among them are Twentieth Century Fox, MGM, Warner Brothers and Paramount. Microsoft and Intel are among the big players supporting HD-DVD. Microsoft claims to support Toshiba’s format in its forthcoming Vista OS.
In the adult arena, Digital Playground announced earlier this year that it would release movies for Blu-ray, while Vivid CEO Steve Hirsch said his company would put out both Blu-ray and HD-DVD content.
“We feel that Blu-ray is superior technology, but we will support both formats,” Digital Playground publicist Adella O’Neal told XBIZ.
Online DVD rental service Netflix has quietly added HD-DVD choices to its site. The company didn’t make a formal announcement of the addition, but when asked by XBIZ, a spokesperson was quick to say that Netflix is already working on adding a section for Blu-ray movies.
