(CNN) -- Warner Brothers Home Entertainment announced Friday that it will begin offering its high-definition DVDs exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format, striking a major blow in the marketplace battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Warner Bros. decision to move to the Blu-ray format is reminiscent of the VHS-Beta battle.
Warner had been the largest media company releasing videos in both formats, until now steering clear of a struggle that, reminiscent of the VHS vs. Beta fight in the early 1980s, has left many consumers confused and waiting to see which technology will emerge as the industry standard.
"Warner Brothers' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, said in a written statement. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger."
Warner Brothers is Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs, representing 18 to 20 percent of sales in the United States, said Warner spokesman Scott Rowe.
Warner Home Video will continue releasing high-definition videos in the HD DVD format until the end of May.
Currently, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Disney release their high-definition videos exclusively for Blu-ray, which is owned by Sony. Paramount and Universal Pictures release for HD DVD -- which is backed by Toshiba and Microsoft.
Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group, said the dueling formats have "led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption."
"Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience," he said.
Warner Brothers, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner. E-mail to a friend 
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