The HD DVD is down, but the kicks keep coming! There is no shadow of a doubt that Toshiba lost the match against Sony’s Blu-Ray, as more and more former HD DVD supporters express their full allegiance to the Blu-Ray, including former partners and ardent supporters of the HD DVD format.

One day after Toshiba released an official statement disappointingly announcing the end of the road for the HD DVD, Universal Pictures Digital turned to Blu-Ray, and they were not the only ones to make this decision.

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

At the same time, Amazon.com announced that it will support Blu-Ray as the digital format of choice for customers: “The high-definition landscape is rapidly changing … In order to best serve our customers, Amazon is recommending Blu-Ray as the preferred digital format and will continue to carry the ‘Earth’s Largest selection’ of Blu-Ray products.”

There is however an ‘everlasting’ supporter of the HD DVD as it appears. LG said it will continue to develop players compatible with this format, despite Toshiba’s Tuesday announcement, in a statement issued to Pocket-lint: “LG believes that at this present moment in time, it is necessary to provide a player which supports both formats and therefore create simplicity and convenience for the existing HD DVD consumer.”

Netflix opted for a pro-Blu position one week before Toshiba’s official announcement, with the following motivation: there is absolutely nothing wrong with having one single format, as this would only ease the customer’s choice and bring clarity to the consumer. Netflix has offered both formats, ever since the beginnings of HD DVDs in 2006, but decided it is time to move on and look forward to what this change could mean for the adoption of high-definition in general.

 Since the beginning of this year, several retailers took the decision to swear allegiance to the Blu-Ray, including Woolworths and Wal-Mart, and despite Toshiba’s initial announcement that it will stay devoted to the HD DVD format, the inevitable happened. Analysts expected Toshiba’s move sooner or later, as Blu-Ray became a market’s favorite.