Blockbuster to rent Blu-ray Only … is the HD Format War Over?

Well, has HD-DVD entered the Betamax realm? Blockbuster, which has been test-renting both HD-DVD and Blu-ray titles in 250 of its stores, has decided to go with Blu-ray only when it expands its high-def offerings next month.

The move, to be announced Monday, could be the first step in resolving a format war that has kept consumers from buying new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time. Source: SeattlePI.com

This may be the signal I need to pick up a high-definition DVD player … though it’s still not a sure thing … as readers know I’ve been holding back until there was a clear winner (the waters still seem murky, though).