European independents choosing HD DVD over Blu-ray
A new report from the Financial Times suggests that independent European film studios, including Studio Canal, Pathe, Filmax, Imagion, and Nixbu, are supporting HD DVD over Blu-ray, with 35 European films having been released in HD DVD format, versus 10 on Blu-ray.
Toshiba and Microsoft have launched a marketing campaign targeted at these independents, seeking to persuade them to use HD DVD.
It's another factor that could bring one format to dominance in Europe, and is possibly why the BDA has targeted independents with their 'BD Light' licensing agreement.
Whether the influence of European studios will be enough to sway a format is another matter.
Depending on who you listen to, and which statistics you gather, Blu-ray is gaining ground, HD DVD hardware sales outrun Blu-ray, and HD DVD is already whipping Blu-ray 4 to 1 in the UK, but on tiny sales. Added to this, Blu-ray has its own big name supporters of independent film.
