The high-def DVD war just got more interesting, as The Walt Disney Co. announced its non-exclusive support of the Blue-ray Disc format embraced by Sony and manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. This comes on the heels of last weeks announcement that Toshiba Corp. is getting support from Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and New Line for its rival next-generation DVD format, HD DVD.
The Blue-ray format will soon boast titles from Sony Pictures, MGM and those that fall under the Buena Vista Home Ent. umbrella, including Walt Disney Home Ent., Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Touchstone Home Ent., Miramax Home Ent., Dimension Home Video and Disney DVD.
News Corp.'s Fox Ent. Group Inc., which includes Twentieth Century Fox, is a board member of the association that backs Blu-ray, which Disney has also joined. However, Fox has not yet committed to either format. Neither has DreamWorks, which likely will support HD DVD because of its close alliance with Universal.
"One of Disney's key priorities is to take advantage of new technologies to drive innovation and growth in order to create increased value for our shareholders," said Peter E. Murphy, sevp and chief strategic officer of The Walt Disney Co. "We believe that Disney's portfolio of outstanding brands and content combined with the Blu-ray technology offers a major step forward for consumers eager to experience high definition content."
"Buena Vista Home Ent. is very pleased to support the Blu-ray format, which will help set the stage for the next generation of digital video disc," added Robert Chapek, president of BVHE. "Blu-ray's excellent combination of advanced functionality, picture quality, data capacity, room for future growth, and advanced rights management for new consumer usage options will provide consumers with an outstanding interactive filmed entertainment experience."
The Walt Disney Co., together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise, which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Consumer Products, television and radio stations and Internet Websites.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
