Just in time for Halloween, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will unleash the critically-acclaimed horror flick 'Slither' on October 24 as an HD DVD/DVD hybrid disc.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is shifting the street dates of a trio of its upcoming HD DVD titles, delaying each release by one week.

Continuing their aggressive support of HD DVD, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release the cult faves 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' and 'Army of Darkness' on the format October 3.

While Blu-ray sees its highly-promoted launch this week, Universal continues to aggressively support HD DVD, announcing six new high-profile titles for release this September.

Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning 'Traffic' is coming to HD DVD this September, the studio announced today.

Though the HD DVD format launched less than two months ago, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced it will already be dropping the list price of all its current and upcoming releases on the format.

Becoming the second studio to release hybrid HD DVD/DVD discs, Universal Studios Home Entertainment today announced it will issue its first two combo titles this August.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release two waves of new HD DVD discs this August, featuring four titles led by the Oscar-winning musical biopic 'Ray.'

Universal Studios Home Entertainment continues their aggressive push of the HD-DVD format by announcing four new disc releases for this coming June and July.

The history of consumer electronics marked a major milestone today, with the official launch of the first HD-DVD products to retailers nationwide.

Though the market launch of the first HD-DVD players and discs does not officially begin until tomorrow (Tuesday), the online DVD community is already buzzing with fan reports of early street date violations at nationwide retail outlets.

High-def DVD enthusiasts chomping at the bit for next Tuesday's arrival of the first HD-DVD players and discs may have to wait a few days more, with growing indications that initial product shipments may not make it into some stores in time for launch.

Further details have come in for Universal's May HD-DVD disc releases, which are set include first-ever "Bonus HD Content" exclusive to the format.

Despite months of hype and anticipation, HD-DVD will be practically tiptoeing into stores when the format's first players and discs hit the market April 18.

Good news for HD-DVD fans starving for fresh content to feed their hungry players: Universal has announced to retailers seven new HD-DVD disc announcements, to be released in two waves this May.

Less than a week away from the launch of the first HD-DVD players and discs, Universal has at last officially announced its first next-gen DVD title offerings.

The launch of the first HD-DVD player and discs only a week away, Universal appears poised to announce the release of its first three titles for the format, reports Video Business.

Only days after online retailer IndiePix announced a new pay service that will allow consumers to download independent films and burn them on a DVD, The New York Times reports that Amazon is in advanced negotiations with major studios Warner, Paramount and Universal for a similar, broader, service.

Amazon's move comes at pivotal time for both the studios and online retailers. Both industries are making a mad dash to entice tech-saavy consumers with instant access to their products, amid a dizzying array of new internet and on-demand services and technologies.

Although the studios have been experimenting with video-on-demand services such as MovieBeam and MovieLink, and making select television shows available for download on Apple's iTunes, none offer the ability for consumers to burn purchases to a DVD disc and then play them on any DVD-compatible device.

If talks between Amazon and the studios are successful, the launch of such a service would send shock waves through the industry. With the online retail giant's huge reach -- and a hybrid approach that would allow consumers the instant satisfaction of a download, coupled with the ability to continue to watch movies on DVD -- Amazon could quickly bring movie downloads to the masses.

Blu-Ray may have fired the first salvo in the high-def format war at yesterday's CES 2006, but the HD-DVD camp is not backing down from the fight. Universal, Warner, New Line and HBO unveiled their initial HD-DVD offerings today, which appeared to trump Blu-Ray in terms of diversity, day-and-date with DVD support and speed to market, with the first titles expected by mid-March.

While all of the studios supporting either high-def DVD format unveiled about 10 to 20 titles apiece, initial impressions give HD-DVD the edge. The obvious catalog action blockbusters like 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Matrix' trilogies are there, but so is comedic fare like 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin.' Combine that with strong same-day-as-DVD titles as 'Superman Reborn' and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' and it makes for a strong opening blitzkrieg. Having HBO under the Warner umbrella also means TV DVD will be better represented than it has been with Blu-Ray, with HBO pledging such top shows as 'The Sopranos' and 'Deadwood' by year end.

HD-DVD's showing was also boosted by the first genuine surprise of CES 2006: the newly-formed Weinstein Co. announced exclusive HD-DVD support. With an upcoming lineup of titles including 'The Matador,' 'Scary Movie 4,' 'Young Hannibal,' 'The Passion of the Clerks,' that's nothing to scoff at.

However, Blu-Ray has a counterpunch of its own still left for CES 2006. Disney will unveil their exclusive plans for the Sony-backed format with a gala event tonight, which could tip the scales back in the Blu-Ray's favor.