When I ended off my article on the tech flops of 2007, I discussed the ongoing battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. I said:

Until something happens here, both camps will remain in the “flop” category and both could end up in the dustbin of failed technology.

Well, something very big happened here right as we begin 2008. Warner Brothers Entertainment decided to go exclusively with Blu-Ray. And they made this move precisely for the same reason I said above. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger," said Warner chairman Barry Meyer, suggesting that this move will end the format war.

It is surely premature to suggest that the format war could be over, however this is surely a big blow to HD-DVD. Warner is a HUGE producer of DVDs. And with this switch, 5 of the big 7 Hollywood studios are now backing Blu-Ray. Only Paramount and Universal are now left backing HD-DVD. Companies behind HD-DVD have been Toshiba, Microsoft and Intel.

Toshiba has to be licking its wounds after paying big money to sponsor HD-DVD at the upcoming CES show in Las Vegas. Gizmodo shows a picture of the bags they would be handing out, calling it the saddest sight in the world. The HD-DVD group, tail between legs, has even canceled their scheduled press conference at CES:

Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD’s commitment to quality and affordability - a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

The related story on PC World contains this quote:

"I think the war is over. HD DVD has lost. It really is game-over for Toshiba and the other vendors," said Robin Harris, an analyst with Data Mobility Group. "The basic issue is not technology. It’s about distribution, it’s about marketing, it’s about content and Blu-ray has been winning the content war for sometime. I don’t know why [Toshiba] keeps pouring money into it, it’s time to stop."

At this point, Blu-Ray seems to be standing on top. Based on the past trends, my guess is it will probably stay that way. HD-DVD isn’t going anywhere soon, but it is, for now, looking like Blu-Ray just might be the winner of this format war.