Hollywood Facing Pressure Over DVD Format War
TOP STORY -- The European Commission asked several major Hollywood movie
studios today to defend their choice between the battling high-definition DVD formats
of HD DVD and Blu-ray. The international agency is seeking to find whether the
studios are breaking EU regulations that prohibit companies from shutting out rivals
from a marketplace. Sony's Blu-ray has won support from Disney, News Corp.'s 20th
Century Fox and Sony Pictures. Conversely, GE's Universal Studios releases high-def
movies exclusively on HD DVD. EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said regulators are
only looking for information on how studios choose which format to use for film
releases at this stage and had not accused the companies of violating antitrust law.
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