Now that Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD and all, the only studio to have been 100% HD DVD throughout the format war, Universal, made the obvious announcement – they’re going to start releasing films on Blu-ray. Home Media Magazine had this:

“While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

“The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for high-def’s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate.”

I’m actually a bit surprised. Not that Universal is supporting Blu-ray, that was obviously coming, but that they made the announcement before Paramount – who still hasn’t done so, from what I can tell. Since Paramount, and DreamWorks Animation, were formerly format neutral, releasing both Blu-ray and HD DVD, I kind of expected them to be the first to jump on the news. Paramount probably still has warehouses full of Blades of Glory Blu-ray discs, and other titles they’d already pressed for release on BD before their sudden shift to HD DVD exclusivity. They could start by give those discs a new street date. I’m sure they’ll announce their plans soon.

Via Blu-ray.com.