HI DEF DVD WAR OVER

Wal-Mart sells the most DVDs in the country and this past week decided to go with the Blu-ray hi-def format, dumping HD DVD altogether. The nail is pretty much in the HD DVD coffin at this point.

By Franklin Paul, Reuters

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to exclusively sell high-definition DVDs in the Blu-ray format, dealing what could be a crippling blow to the rival HD DVD technology backed by Toshiba Corp.

The move by the world's largest retailer, announced on Friday, caps a disappointing week for HD DVD supporters, who also saw consumer electronics chain Best Buy and online video rental company Netflix defect to the Blu-ray camp.

In a statement on its Web site, Wal-Mart said that over the next few months it will phase out sales of HD DVD systems and discs. By June, it will sell only products in the Blu-ray format which was developed by Sony Corp.

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