The DVD format battle is getting hotter. Toshiba, the HD DVD proponent, has fired their old advertising agency and awarded their $10 million account to WPP Group's Y&R Brands according to a recent report from ADWEEK. WPP previously handled advertising and marketing for the Blu-ray Disc Association.

Toshiba is looking to add 15-20 percent more spending to their overall marketing and advertising budget in order to support HD DVD initiatives. Toshiba is looking to expand their HD DVD technology across all product offerings such as HD DVD players and laptops with built-in HD DVD drives. The Blu-ray Disc Association is also investing heavily to promote their format as the high definition video of choice.

Both companies are partnering with Hollywood studios to incorporate movie characters and themes in their advertising efforts to gain advantage.