Last week we had a slew of Blu-ray releases that catered to most family members. This week we have another diverse batch of movies: Nicolas Cage action and adventure flicks, comedy films the likes of Blades of Glory and Anger Management, documentaries from Questar about nature and wildlife, and the critically-acclaimed Hugo Weaving-Natalie Portman starrer, V for Vendetta. For a complete list of Blu-ray releases for this week, head on over to the full article.

Paramount Pictures has announced that its scheduled March 4 release of two HD-DVD movies will be its last release for the said format. Wondering what flicks are being served now that the studio's going the way of Blu-Ray? Head over to the full article and find out.

It must be nice to have someone staying with you, when everyone else has abandoned you for good. DreamWorks, a studio locked into a deal with Toshiba, has stated that they are still waiting for Toshiba's decision whether or not they continue churning out movies in HD DVD format. Read more about it in the full article.

Sales data from Home Media Research has Blu-ray outselling rival format HD-DVD by almost 2 to 1 in the first nine months of the year. This according to reports from Reuters.

Blu-ray reportedly posted total U.S. sales of 2.6 million units from January 1 until September 30. HD-DVD, on the other hand, had a total of 1.4 million discs sold. Earlier this month, we reported that Blu-ray also posted a 4 to 1 lead over HD-DVD in Europe.

Analysts expect a different scenario in the fourth quarter, however. In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold believes that newly-released HD-DVD titles with new Web-enabled features such as Paramount's Transformers will revitalize the HD-DVD camp in the fourth quarter.

Adams Media Research president Tom Adams also pointed towards Paramount and DreamWorks' 18-month HD-DVD exclusivity as a factor that "very much strengthens HD-DVD's hand in the fourth quarter". Adams, however, believes that Blu-ray will still take the lead for the year overall.

We recently reported that Steven Spielberg movies were seen in Universal Studios' Japanese presentation for a HD-DVD event, sparking curiosity and raising eyebrows among the ranks of the format war-conscious. Fortunately, Spielberg's spokesperson Marvin Levy made things clear by saying that the content shown in the Universal presentation was a mistake and matters will be corrected by the film giant. "There are no plans to release these titles on HD DVD. It was a mistake and someone inadvertently put those titles into a presentation," says Levy.

Steven Spielberg has made it clear early in this generation of media formats that he was a Blu-ray supporter, and refused to have his past and future films distributed in the HD-DVD format, making it a very surprising sight to see the titles E.T., Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and other all-time greats in a huge screen presented to a HD-DVD audience.

Universal, whom Spielberg has worked with in the past, took the side of HD-DVD a few months ago when it announced along with Dreamworks that it was going to go exclusive with the Toshiba-backed format. However, Spielberg's work has been declared exempted from the pact. Levy says Universal Studios is expected to issue a public statement in the following days to clear up the issue to everyone.

Hollywood movie maestro Steven Spielberg has always been known as a staunch Blu-ray supporter since the advent of the format war. It's now surprising to see that some of his old films were seen in the CEATAC Conference in Japan. Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T. were spotted on a screen with the text "Look and Sound Perfect" native to HD-DVD titles from Universal Studios.

Spielberg has openly supported Sony's next-generation format, as evidenced by the exemptions of its work from HD-DVD's deal with Dreamworks whom he has worked with. He has also had some brush-offs with the HD-DVD as of late.

Earlier in the year, the HD-DVD Promotions Group apologized for including his films on a "coming soon" ad that they put out for an upcoming title. No legal mortars were fired, but the battle lines were clearly drawn.

So what gives with Universal Japan's seeming claim that the aforementioned Spielberg blockbusters of the past would land on HD-DVD? Did they land some sort of special deal? We wouldn't know for sure at this point, but we'll give you an update as soon as new word is forthcoming.

It's been noted that Target, the fifth largest retailer in the US, has been reserving twice as much space for Blu-ray movies on their shelves than those on the HD DVD format. Some believe it's just a temporary move but the Blu-ray camp believes that this will have a solid impact on the format war.

Target execs have expressed their desire to stick to one format before, and this may prove to be the start of that initiative. Their choice on going with Blu-ray may just be out of practicality because it's outselling HD DVD two to one. However, with Paramount and DreamWorks going HD DVD exclusive - Paramount will remain so for at least a year - the tide may still turn.

Andy Parsons, chair of promotions of the Blu-ray Disc Assn. believes that with Target displaying more Blu-ray titles, consumers at large would definitely feel the impact:

You’re going to get a clear message when you see more Blu-ray than HD DVD, and you’re going to think something is up. The message to the consumer is that one of these [formats] is dominating. You’ll go with the masses and pick titles from the one that is likely to win.

Alan Bell, executive VP at Paramount Pictures, believes that Target's decision to display more Blu-ray movies was just a move to satisfy their wariness of the format war, as most consumers are, saying:

For a retailer to make a decision on shelving, it’s a very flexible decision. The most notable observation is that it’s 24 versus 12—[Target] is mostly standing back, as consumers still are to some degree. Retail might be shifting inventory around, but at some point, there could be diminishing returns” as the format war evolves further. I think HD DVD has the goods.

As we all know Paramount and Dreamworks has decided to jump (exclusively) into the HD-DVD wagon, and it looks like it's not an isolated case. There's a noticeable outcropping of HD-DVD releases of movies supposed to be exclusive to Blu-ray, and some of them are even from Sony Pictures.

Among many other titles, Underworld: Evolution as well as XXX from Sony Pictures have been spotted under the HD-DVD banner. As for movies from other Blu-ray exclusive studios, Disney's Reign of Fire and The Prestige was also found with the HD-DVD logo printed over their titles.

The strangest thing? There seems to be HD-DVD movies from almost every Blu-ray exclusive studios.

Why is it so? Audioholics supposes that the high cost of producing Blu-ray discs is causing the studios to jump into the HD-DVD wagon from time to time. The fact that HD-DVD is region-free may also be another reason as well.

Is this any indication of a huge development in the format wars? Do check this space often to find out.

In light of Paramount and Dreamworks' migration to the HD DVD format, Microsoft is stepping in to clarify matters from its side. To this end, Kevin Collins of Microsoft's HD-DVD unit went on the Home Theater Forum message board to state that the company did not provide any financial incentives for the two companies.

Collins is referring to recent reports that state that Paramount and Dreamworks had agreed to support HD-DVD after they were paid US$ 150 million (combined) in financial incentives. The New York Times further indicated that the information was leaked to them by two Viacom executives. Collins further made this comment regarding articles that stated MS paid the two studios off:

This type of 'reporting' amazes me and I challenge anyone to provide proof around these statements. They are unfounded and inaccurate.

Collins further hinted that Toshiba may have been the one behind the payments. He pointed out an article on Ain'tItCool.com that narrated Toshiba providing Paramount with incentives to become an HD-DV exclusive. The article further added that Paramount may have also made the decision due to other factors, such as manufacturing costs and technological advantages.

Michael Bay is back on to do Transformers 2. It looks like his previous statement about quitting the highly anticipated sequel was a reaction said in haste.

He explains in his site that his initial reaction against the deal made by Paramount and DreamWorks to be HD-DVD exclusive came from talking with three "pissed" Blu-ray owners who were upset that Transformers won't be out on their preferred format. That, and Bay posted his initial reaction in the wee hours of the morning and, as most of us know and Bay points out, "nothing good ever comes out of early am posts."

So what finally got him back on track for Transformers?

I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard. As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision. [...] So today I saw "300" on HD, it rocks!