Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has declared on Friday that it would start releasing its high-definition DVDs exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format.

The biggest media company, Warner Bros, accounts for 18 to 20% of DVD sales in the United States, and was among few studios, which endorsed both formats.

The move will strike a major blow in the marketplace clash among Blu-ray and HD DVD.

In a written statement, Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers said, “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.”

“The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger,” Mr. Meyer added.

Warner Home Video would go on releasing high-definition videos in the HD DVD format till May end.

Presently, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, and Lionsgate are among those who release their high-definition exclusively for Blu-ray owned by Sony.

Viacom's Paramount studios and General Electric's NBC Universal release movies in HD DVD format 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.