Those of you with PS3s notwithstanding, there has never been a better time to stay out of the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray.

According to the New York Times, Paramount and Dreamworks were paid “about $150 million in financial incentives for their commitment to HD DVD, according to two Viacom executives with knowledge of the deal but who asked not to be identified.” By “commitment to HD DVD,” the Times really means that Paramount and Dreamworks were paid to drop Blu-ray. Bad news for Blockbuster as, they’ve recently dropped HD DVD in their continued quest for total irrelevancy.

According to Ars Technica, Blu-ray has been outselling HD DVD 2-to-1 in the first half of 2007.

In any case, Format Wars are bad for consumers. Yuck.

Two Studios to Support HD DVD Over Rival [NYT]
Paramount adopts HD DVD, kicks Blu-ray to the curb [Ars Technica]
State of High Definition: Who’s Winning the Studio Support War? [Gizmodo]

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