Following up on our
Star Trek story yesterday, it's now official: Toshiba has formally pulled the plug on the HD DVD format. Gord's detailed write-up about it can be read
at TVGuide.com. You can also read the official press release for yourself
at Toshiba's website (if that is difficult to reach, it's mirrored
here).
There is no official response yet from either Universal or Paramount, the major studios still supporting HD DVD format with releases. Despite the
Star Trek story last night, Paramount turned around this morning and announced a two-disc HD DVD release of Tim Burton's
Sweeney Todd (starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter), slated for April 1st, so we presume support for Toshiba's doomed format will not just drop off immediately.
On the other hand, Paramount is also announcing this morning some Special Edition releases of the first three
Indiana Jones films, slated for May 13th, and all of those are earmarked for standard DVD only; no high def is mentioned in the plans. Nor is there any high-def product among the 9 different TV-DVD titles they've announced this morning (which we're posting about separately).
