I think it is a pretty safe bet to say that HD-DVD is dead on the skillet at this point. Blu-Ray has just made themselves another convert.

Late last week the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) pulled an Ace out of its sleeve and announced that not only will they support the Advanced Access Content System (AACS), just like HD DVD, but that they’re adding two more weapons in the fight against piracy: BD+ and ROM-Mark. The ploy seems to have worked, because not only did it net them Twentieth Century Fox, but this week two other companies have hopped on board with Blu-ray.

Earlier this week Universal Music Group said that they would adopt Blu-ray as the standard for their next-generation audio discs—a nice catch for the BDA. Even better, Lion’s Gate Home Entertainment today said that they, too, want on the Blu-ray bandwagon. [Read the rest]