HD DVD Responds To Slate Of Bad News

Burbank (CA) - The HD DVD Promotional Group has issued a statement in response to this month's announcements regarding huge industry players Netflix and Best Buy moving away from its format.

The bigger of the two bomb shells is Netflix, which has decided to categorically remove HD DVD from its listings. "We have long held the belief that HD DVD is the best format for consumers based on quality and value, and with more than 1 million HD DVD players on the market, it's unfortunate to see Netflix make the decision to only stock Blu-ray titles going forward," said the HD DVD group in a statement.

Best Buy, on the other hand, has only gone so far as to "recommend" that it switch exclusively to Blu-ray. For now it will continue to support both formats, but for many it seems like only delaying the inevitable. HD DVD responded briefly to this announcement by saying, "At least [Best Buy] will continue to carry HD DVD and offer consumers a choice at retail."

In the world of home media, it doesn't get much bigger than Best Buy, the largest specialty electronics chain, and Netflix, the leader in online-initiated rentals.