Paramount, DreamWorks Side Exclusively With HD DVD

Officials from both Viacom division Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Entertainment have announced that both studios will exclusively be supporting HD DVD as their next-gen video format of choice, which will include Transformers, Shrek the Third and all MTV and Nickelodeon releases. In a statement, the companies said the decision to side with HD DVD "resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs." Paramount will be kicking off its campaign with the release of the comedy Blades of Glory on August 28th, and follow up with Transformers and Shrek the Third, which the studio notes represents more than $1.5 billion in worldwide box office ticket sales. The news comes despite the fact that in June, Blockbuster announced that it had decided to side with Blu-ray and discontinue shipping HD DVD titles to any more of its retail outlets, relegating them instead to online rentals, effectively barring any releases from the two studios from retail rental through the chain. Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey said he believed "HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount." Said DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, "We believe the combination of this year's low-priced HD DVD players and the commitment to release a significant number of hit titles in the fall makes HD DVD the best way to view movies at home."