Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said  that the company will continue its plan from last week of carrying its approximately 400 titles in HD DVD while not purchasing new HD DVD titles. Netflix has almost 500 Blu-ray titles.

Warner said Tuesday that it has no change in plans as a result of the Toshiba announcement. It has several big titles slated for HD DVD before it drops the format, including I Am Legend and Twister.

Toshiba had been losing market share since the holiday season, when Sony cut Blu-ray player prices and bundled players with high-definition TV sets. Movie studio heads and some industry analysts partially blamed last year’s drop in U.S. DVD sales on the so-called format war, which caused consumers to delay next-generation DVD purchases.

Toshiba said it will provide ongoing product support and after sales service for purchasers of HD DVD products. Customers can contact 1-888-MY HDDVD (1-888-694-3383) for operational assistance for players and further guidance on HD DVD products.

The decision will not include the company’s commitment to standard-def DVD, and Toshiba will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders, as well as contribute to the development of the DVD industry through its membership in the DVD Forum, which is the 200-member international organization involved with defining optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.

Toshiba also said it intends to maintain “collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel and HP.”

Toshiba said it intends to continue collaboration with its partners for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.

Members of the Blu-ray Disc camp celebrated Toshiba’s decision.

“We in the Blu-ray Disc Assn. are very happy that this long format war is officially over,” said Andy Parsons, Blu-ray Disc Assn. U.S. Promotions Committee chairman and Pioneer Electronics senior VP.

“Now the task ahead for our member companies is to promote the Blu-ray Disc format as the best way to bring premier quality high-definition content into consumers’ lives.”

In a statement from Sony, the company said: “Overwhelming support from all the relevant industries, including Hollywood studios, consumer electronics and IT companies, retailers and video rental stores, is clear proof that consumers have chosen Blu-ray as the next-generation optical disc format. We believe that a single format will benefit both consumers and the industry and will accelerate the expansion of the market.”

The Entertainment Merchants Assn. called the official end of the format war a “significant milestone” that clears the way for retailers and suppliers to push ahead with the promotion of a single format. “Now that consumer confusion concerning dueling formats has ended, it is time for suppliers and retailers to redouble their efforts to bring home the message that Blu-ray discs deliver the finest viewing experience for the world’s best entertainment,” EMA president Bo Andersen said in a statement.

Andersen also urged studios and hardware makers to make sure this is a steady stream to high-quality products to stores, with no shortages.

“It is critically important for all content companies to deliver their best new releases and their rich catalog slates to the market in Blu-ray strategically,” he said. “We believe there is pent up demand for high-definition optical discs in thousands of applications.”Greg Tarr of TWICE contributed to this report

Blockbuster, which carried both formats at 250 stores before expanding Blu-ray to 1,450 more last July, has no plans to stop carrying its HD DVD titles "so long as there’s demand," said spokeswoman Karen Raskopf.