Disney Throws Weight Behind Blu-Ray DVD Format

Disney Throws Weight Behind Blu-Ray DVD Format
Once upon a time, Betamax was more than a winning answer in Trivial Pursuit: It was a real competitor with the VHS videotape format.

Now makers and users of the rival next-generation DVD formats, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD wonder which one will turn out to be the "beta."

The Walt Disney Co. may have helped the industry make up its mind: The studio on Wednesday said it'll release its movies and other content in the Blu-Ray format.

The House that Mickey Built said its agreement was non-exclusive, and will commence as soon as makers start releasing Blu-Ray DVD players in North America and Japan.

Battle lines have already been drawn: Blu-Ray, developed by Sony, Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial and Philips Electronics, already boasts the support of Sony's Columbia Pictures and Metro Goldwyn Mayer -recently bought by a Sony-led group.

Blu-Ray also has the nod from Hewlett-Packard, which said it'll begin selling personal computers with Blu-Ray disc drives in late 2005.

But perhaps the format can still use a boost: Last month, three studios said they would start releasing films in the HD-DVD format in time for the 2005 holiday season.

The triumvirate championing HD-DVD are Viacom's Paramount Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures--part of General Electric's NBC Universal--and Time Warner film unit Warner Bros