TOKYO, (AFP) - In a new twist to the battle over next-generation DVDs, US movie giant Paramount Home Entertainment said it will support Sony's Blu-ray format while also making DVDs for Toshiba's rival technology.
Paramount will begin releasing content in North America, Japan and Europe suitable for the Blu-ray hardware after its launch, the unit of global media giant Viacom said in a statement received here.
The US studio has previously announced its support for a rival format promoted by Toshiba, called HD DVD, while other Hollywood studios are split in their support for the two technologies.
Paramount said it hoped to take advantage of Blu-ray technology in the PlayStation3, the latest model of the hugely successful games console which will be launched next year by Sony, a key promoter of Blu-ray.
Blu-ray is vying with a Toshiba-led group promoting the HD DVD format, in a replay of the video format rivalry a generation ago between VHS and Sony's ill-fated Betamax, which eventually lost out as customers opted for its rival.
Among Hollywood studios, Walt Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment back Blu-ray, while HD DVD supporters include Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers Studios.
Next-generation DVDs, expected to hit the mass market later this year, are billed as offering cinematic quality images and opening up new possibilities in interactive entertainment.
Hollywood studios, who could ultimately decide the fate of the two formats, are divided in their support for Toshiba or Sony.
Sony's Blu-ray disc is expected to have a greater storage capacity than the HD DVD but also to be more expensive to make, at least in the short term, as the format has greater differences from current-generation DVDs.
Other supporters of the Blu-ray technology include Apple Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics.
HD DVD's backers include US technology giants Microsoft and Intel, Japanese electronics group NEC, France's Thomson and Fuji Photo Film.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051003/tc_afp/japanittechnologydvdcompanyparamountsony;_ylt=A0SOwkD3MkFDTTQAuQsjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Paramount will begin releasing content in North America, Japan and Europe suitable for the Blu-ray hardware after its launch, the unit of global media giant Viacom said in a statement received here.
The US studio has previously announced its support for a rival format promoted by Toshiba, called HD DVD, while other Hollywood studios are split in their support for the two technologies.
Paramount said it hoped to take advantage of Blu-ray technology in the PlayStation3, the latest model of the hugely successful games console which will be launched next year by Sony, a key promoter of Blu-ray.
Blu-ray is vying with a Toshiba-led group promoting the HD DVD format, in a replay of the video format rivalry a generation ago between VHS and Sony's ill-fated Betamax, which eventually lost out as customers opted for its rival.
Among Hollywood studios, Walt Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment back Blu-ray, while HD DVD supporters include Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers Studios.
Next-generation DVDs, expected to hit the mass market later this year, are billed as offering cinematic quality images and opening up new possibilities in interactive entertainment.
Hollywood studios, who could ultimately decide the fate of the two formats, are divided in their support for Toshiba or Sony.
Sony's Blu-ray disc is expected to have a greater storage capacity than the HD DVD but also to be more expensive to make, at least in the short term, as the format has greater differences from current-generation DVDs.
Other supporters of the Blu-ray technology include Apple Computer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung Electronics.
HD DVD's backers include US technology giants Microsoft and Intel, Japanese electronics group NEC, France's Thomson and Fuji Photo Film.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051003/tc_afp/japanittechnologydvdcompanyparamountsony;_ylt=A0SOwkD3MkFDTTQAuQsjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
