HD DVD movies: not coming soon
If you've already pre-ordered some HD-DVD videos for that HD-DVD player that you also pre-ordered, you may end up getting the deck before you get the flicks. Warner Home Video -- the only studio that had set a firm date for a rollout of HD-DVD movies -- has now backed off and won't commit to a specific timetable. The company had originally planned to launch a slate of films including "Batman Begins" and "Million Dollar Baby" on March 28, and had even allowed major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy to take pre-orders. However, division head Ron Sanders now says "the outlook is tenuous -- we're still coming out with an initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don't know." That can't be good news for Toshiba, which has been promoting its new HD-DVD players with a national roadshow, and still plans to have players in stores by the end of the month -- whether or not there's anything to watch on them.
