Universal Pictures, one of a few studios using the HD DVD format, said on Tuesday it will switch to the Blu-ray format now that Toshiba has officially pulled the plug on HD DVD. Other HD DVD backers, like Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc , are also expected to announce their plans to go Blu in the following days, although no comments have been made yet.

"The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear," Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms, said in a statement.

"The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate. While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," he said.

Toshiba finally threw in the towel on Tuesday after losing support of key studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony.