The seemingly never-ending Blu-ray vs HD DVD format war just got bloodier, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) announcing its support of the Blu-ray Gen-Next DVD format.

The seemingly never-ending Blu-ray vs HD DVD format war just got bloodier, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) having announced its support of the Blu-ray Gen-Next DVD format.

Post the launch of Blu-ray hardware in Europe, North America and Japan, MGM in co-operation with the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), will release film and television titles from its vast library. Blu-ray is a Gen-X optical disc format, developed for high-capacity software applications and high-definition video. While a single-layer Blu-ray disc can store up to 25 gigabytes of data, a dual-layer Blu-ray disc can hold around 50 gigabytes of data. Blu-ray also incorporates highly advanced copy protection, advanced interactivity, and backward compatibility with current DVD format connectivity.

Harry Sloan, chairman and CEO, MGM Studios, said, “MGM’s focus has always been to provide movie lovers complete access to the world’s largest modern film library, in the most technologically advanced formats. Adopting this new Blu-ray technology, with its expanded storage capacity and increased interactive capabilities, allows us to continue to provide our customers with the best movie viewing experience available.”

Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO, Sony Corporation, said, “This is a tremendous win for movie lovers everywhere. The Blu-ray Disc format provides a completely new viewing experience, and consumers can now look forward to enjoying content from the world’s largest library of modern films, including titles from franchises such as James Bond and The Pink Panther in this amazing new format.”