The Format War - HD DVD vs Blu-ray

A format war describes the competition between different types of formats, typically data storage and recording formats for electronic media. High-definition optical disc formats: Blu-ray Disc versus HD DVD. Several disc formats that were intended to improve on the performance of the DVD were developed, including Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD- DVD. The first HD-DVD player was released in March 2006, followed quickly by a Blu-ray player in June 2006.

The format warwent largely in Blu-ray's favor after the largest movie studio supporting HD DVD, Warner Brothers, decided to abandon releasing films on HD-DVD in January 2008. Shortly thereafter, several major North American rental services and retailers announced the exclusive support for Blu-ray products. Thus, Blu-ray won the HD war.