The battle to set the standard for next-generation digital recording media took another twist yesterday with the announcement that Walt Disney would launch titles on the Blu-ray Disc format promoted by Sony and Matsushita.

Disney's move divides the allegiance of Hollywood studios in half, with Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM and possibly 20th Century Fox supporting the Blu-ray format, while Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema have committed to a rival format, known as HD-DVD.