Chicago: The largest U.S. consumer electronics chain, Best Buy Co Inc, on Monday said that it would recommend consumers choose Sony Corp's Blu-ray high-definition video format rather than Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD. The statement from the electronics retailer gives Sony yet another victory in its competition with Toshiba Corp's HD DVD.

Best Buy said that it would continue to carry an assortment of Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD products for consumers who want to buy them, but it would "prominently showcase" Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray format.

Toshiba and Sony have been competing to set the standard for high-definition DVDs for several years, but now Sony appears to be winning the competition.

Online movie rental company Netflix, earlier on Monday announced that it was switching exclusively to Blu-ray as its high-definition format. Walt Disney Co., Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have also endorsed Blu-ray. On the other hand Paramount and Universal Studios publish their high-definition DVDs in Toshiba's HD DVD format.

According to Best Buy, consumers will benefit more from Sony’s technology that HD DVD format.

Brian Dunn, Best Buy's president and chief operating officer, said in a statement, "Because we believe that Blu-ray is fast emerging as that single format, we have decided to focus on Blu-ray products."