WB Blu-ray Update: New Line Cinema to Follow Warner

As expected, New Line confirmed with Variety Magazine that it will follow Warner Bros. to Blu-ray. While New Lines move was expected because of both studios being owned by Time Warner, other studios like Universal are still up in the air.

SAG says Actors won't cross lines at Globes

Actors nominated for this years Golden Globes are expected to skip the awards to support striking Hollywood writers. "There appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross" the picket lines to present or accept an award, said SAG president Alan Rosenberg. There are a total of 72 actors among this year's nominees. It is unclear how the move will affect the awards being broadcast on NBC on Jan. 13.

Warner Bros. goes Blu

Movie studio Warner Bros. has confirmed that it will switch to releasing HD movies only in the Blu-ray Disc format, potentially ending HD DVD's run in the marketplace. Warner Bros. move to exclusively releasing titles on Blu-ray is speculated to be a move to clear this entire format war once and for good. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger," Warner Bros. chief executive Barry Mayer explains. So far, each format has seen about the same amount of titles released, but in the next few months, a shift of 70% of titles will be considered exclusive to Blu-ray over HD DVD. This could make the next few weeks very interesting with Apple expecting to make an announcement solely supporting Blu-ray as well, and the CES (consumer electronics show) is always a big venue for new hardware in terms of players. Apple rival Microsoft has always supported HD DVD with it's Xbox 360 and PC hardware, mostly through Toshiba. Could this be the start of the end for HD DVD?

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Warner Bros. opts for Blu-ray over HD DVD
Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive
BOOST FOR BLU-RAY!

UPDATE (11:49PM)
The HD DVD group has canceled its CES press conference in light of Warner's announcement. Toshiba has also issued a press release expressing their "disappointment" with Warner, also implying that the move Wanter has made to Blu-ray is actually a breach of contract. Finally Blu-ray is doing a little victory dance by calling their CES presence "Best Booth of All Time."
*All links to the Engadget article.