While the end-results, if any, of those recent tidbits of good news last summer for advocates of HD DVD may not yet be known fully, the big vote of confidence bestowed on the format by Paramount and DreamWorks SKG has spurred at least one major CE chain down under to drop its exclusive Blu-ray Disc line in favor of both incompatible formats.
JB Hi-Fi stores across the continent have decided to add HD DVD to their Blu-ray line-up, now that it appears clear the next-gen disc wars will not be over nearly as quickly as Blu-ray proponents were predicting only a few months ago.
A JB Hi-Fi exec confirmed that the Paramount decision to go HD DVD (in a time-limited agreement that involved $150 million for Paramount and SKG) was instrumental in the Australian chain deciding to include HD DVD players and package content on their shelves, according to the Aussie Web site Smarthouse.
