HBO Confirms Switch to Blu-ray Exclusivity

As expected, HBO Home Video has fallen in line with parent Warner, confirming that it too will drop HD DVD support in favor of Blu-ray.

HBO Home Video president Henry McGee told the Hollywood Reporter today that the company will be "following the same policy as Warner Home Video" and will no longer release titles on HD DVD.

Distributed under the Warner umbrella along with New Line Home Entertainment and BBC Home Video, HBO had been format-neutral, releasing titles in both Blu-ray and HD DVD. Following New Line's move to Blu-ray, HBO now becomes the third Warner company to abandon HD DVD, leaving only the BBC (which Warner distributes domestically) to declare its future format intentions.

McGee offered no further details on the HBO Video's plans to transition to sole Blu-ray support, or the fate of its current HD DVD releases, which include two box set releases of the top-selling 'The Sopranos.'