Given the finality of the format war, we can't say we're totally shocked to hear that Samsung will be pulling the plug on its recently announced BD-UP5500 HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player, but still, it's not good news for folks planning to pick it up for kicks (or watching their library of HD DVDs). Interestingly enough, Sammy had already planned to axe its current flagship hybrid player -- the BD-UP5000 -- this May, just months after it went on sale and began taking heat for not meeting expectations. On the plus side, the firm's latest BD-only player was a real gem, so hopefully we'll see lots more where that came from in the future. Oh, and if you're weeping this very moment at the thought of never getting to see one in person, feel free to click here and live vicariously through us.

We don't know if Jeffrey Katzenberg got a text message, fax, e-mail or smoke signal indicating the format war was over, but Video Business has confirmed Paramount and Dreamworks Animation will (rather abruptly) to stop releasing HD DVDs after next week. If you were looking forward to Bee Movie on March 11, Sweeney Todd on April 1 or the just announced There Will Be Blood, those are cancelled. Into the Wild and the appropriately-named Things We Lost in the Fire will be Paramount's last reminders of its exclusive agreement. Not specifically mentioned was Star Trek: TOS Season 2, but don't hold your breath. Blu-ray release plans are still up in the air but we wouldn't be surprised to hear something soon. As far as HD DVD movies still scheduled, that leaves two from Universal (for now) and twelve from Warner Bros, who may have been the first to leave red, but will apparently be the last major studio out the door.

Read - Video Business
Read - High-Def Digest

Now that Spider's hogging the limelight, the question inevitably had to be asked, and it seems the answer is no. The inquiry, of course, is whether or not AMD would keep on keepin' on with the lukewarmly received Quad FX platform, and judging by comments from the chip maker's own Suzy Pruitt, the end for it is nigh. More specifically, Pruitt stated that AMD had "discontinued future planning and development" for the Quad FX platform, and also noted that it had shifted most of the effort over to initiatives such as the aforementioned Spider. Notably, it was stated that the outfit would continue to support customers that have existing Quad FX-based hardware, and while specifics weren't doled out, we did hear that upgrade options for those individuals would likely not include a Phenom-branded product. So much for unwavering dedication to its enthusiast-class dual-socket technology, eh?

[Via DailyTech]