As reported in the latest issue of Maximum PC, Warner Brothers has curtailed their plan to develop Total HD discs. These were to have included both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats on the same disc. While it was a good idea when studios were supporting both formats, and it would have spared retailers from doubling their shelf space for HD discs, the recent polarization has pushed both retailers and studios into one camp or the other. Another obvious reason is profit. Consumers are still unenthusiastic about either format.
In a related story, the Wall Street Journal reported in their print edition last week that while many studios are releasing their big hits in only one of the HD formats for the US, this is not the case for the overseas markets. A trip to Amazon.UK will turn up an HD DVD version of “Rise of the Silver Surfer” from Fox or Disney’s “Prestige”. Both these studios have announced a commitment to Blu-ray. While region codes might cause playability issues with standard DVDs and with Blu-ray, is not part of the HD DVD format. While it is possible to find Blu-ray titles as well, most titles are offered as a switch to HD DVD. This would seem to give the edge to HD DVD in the ongoing war between the formats, but it is too soon and the demand is still to shallow.
I don't really see either format dying out.. both of them are making their tiny little in roads into the fairly small HD market. They have the technology to make dual format players and whenever the prices on them become reasonable and theres some selection in the models I think that'd do it. Its not like beta/vhs where the dual players were expensive and had to have two different tape loaders and what not. They can make a single drive that handles both.
I would imagine profits would be smaller on hybrid discs as they have to pay fees to both sony and toshiba. I also think that both lose out as hd discs might go the way of the laserdisc and never become widespread.
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