| That DVD collection is about to go the way of Beta.
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Blu-Ray tipped to win DVD format battle
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Forrester Research on Wednesday declared Blu-Ray, a new DVD format backed by a group led by Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) as the winner in an increasingly heated battle over next-generation DVD technology.
"Two groups are competing for control of high-definition DVD formats to be launched in the spring of 2006. After a long and tedious run up to launch, it is now clear to Forrester that the Sony-led Blu-ray format will win," said Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler in a report.
Earlier this month, Paramount Home Entertainment said it would release high-definition movies in the Blu-ray format.
Paramount, a film studio owned by Viacom Inc., had previously said it would release titles in a competing DVD format called HD DVD that is endorsed by a consortium of electronics makers including Toshiba Corp..
Paramount's move to also support Blu-ray was prompted by the failure of the two factions to join forces before players went on sale, industry sources have said.
Schadler said only one format can ultimately win in the market.
"Unless the HD-DVD group abandons the field, it will be another two years before consumers are confident enough of the winner to think about buying a new format DVD player. In the meantime, they will expand their video on-demand, downloadable video, and Internet viewing habits," he said.
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