HD DVD: 'Still Very Much in the Game'

The public relations melee between HD DVD and Blu-ray continued Wednesday as supporters of HD DVD were quick to point out their own successes.

So far, 998,059 HD DVD discs have been sold, according to the HD DVD Promotional Group. This is about 2,000 shy of the total publicized by Blu-ray on Monday. It also disputed claims that Blu-ray was building an insurmountable lead.

"As more HD DVD titles hit the market and as prices for HD DVD hardware continue to drop below the $400 mark, we're seeing more equal week to week movie sales ratios between the formats," a spokesperson told BetaNews.

Presales for titles of The Matrix Trilogy and BBC Video's documentary Planet Earth show strength for the format, it argued.

In addition, it took issue with the inclusion of PlayStation 3 as a Blu-ray player in overall statistics. When true set-top boxes are compared, HD DVD claims it is still maintaining its 4-to-1 margin over its rival. It explained that it does so because it's easier to compare attach rates with similar hardware.

"Bottom line is that HD DVD is staying focused across the board on creating great products at great prices," the spokesperson added.