HD DVD Proponents Jump Gun on Spielberg Classics

Both sides in the next-gen DVD wars have their own respective Web sites (several, in fact) designed to convince everyone that their side is winning the battle of the two incompatible disc formats. Among their respective online services are "Coming Soon" lists detailing what films are about to be released in their favored format.

Although new titles on both sides are still extremely limited compared to standard DVD offerings, three titles recently listed by the HD DVD Promotions Group did manage to turn some heads. It reported that Universal, an HD DVD proponent, would soon be providing three Steven Spielberg blockbuster titles: "Jaws," E.T.," and "Jurassic Park."

This week, the promotions group issued an apology, stating that its coming soon listings were erroneous, at least for now.

The group's notice, in part, "Expresses sincere apologies to Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and HD DVD fans for this mistake. We will endeavor to prevent any similar mistake and to provide accurate information."

High-Def Digest, which had quickly noted the apology, reports that Spielberg and "Star Wars" director/producer George Lucas did not jump on the standard-format DVD bandwagon a few years ago until it was abundantly clear that discs had become the preferred movie format for consumers.