Posted Mon Oct 8, 2007 at 12:50 PM PDT by
Although a presentation from Universal Japan late last week appeared to indicate otherwise, Steven Spielberg's longtime spokesman is denying reports that several of the director's classic flicks are headed to HD DVD.
As we first reported last Friday, a slide from a presentation made by Universal Japan at last week's CEATAC conference included mention of 'Jaws,' 'E.T.' and 'Jurassic Park' among other high-profile Universal titles apparently headed to HD DVD.
Given the director's apparent preference for Blu-ray, and his previous denials of any immediate plans for HD DVD release of his titles, the image of Spielberg tiles on a page wrapped by the "Look and Sound of Perfect" graphics common to all of Universal's HD DVD discs was enough to whip fans into a near-frenzy on our own forums and elsewhere online.
Today, however, in a statement to Blu-ray.com, Spielberg spokesperson Marvin Levy put the rumors to bed.
"There are no plans to release these titles on HD DVD," said Levy. "It was a mistake and someone inadvertently put those titles into a presentation."
Levy went on to tell Blu-ray.com that Universal would be making a public statement regarding this mistake in the coming days.
As we've previously reported, back in February of this year, the official HD DVD Promotions Group (of which Universal is a member) issued a public apology to the director after listing several of his titles in a "Coming Soon" list that was apparently never approved by the director.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.