The schadenfreude has gone into overtime regarding HD DVD these last few days, with many people taking pleasure in reporting all the bad news they can find or manufacture.

Following the usual pattern, an article appears in a credible news source, and is subsequently enhanced on the internet, sometimes becoming a new story altogether. The life cycle ends with the company at the heart of the matter issuing a statement to set the record straight. But the fact is that few people care to make retractions and corrections, and fewer pay heed to them, so the more sensational version of the news ends up becoming the common knowledge.

In the latest round of events that has already happened with Paramount and Microsoft, Universal Studios came out to say the following on late Thursday afternoon:

“Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal’s current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format”

That statement is attributed to Ken Graffeo, the Executive VP of HD Strategic Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and he’s also the co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.

The statement is terse, and follows in line with a similarly terse statement from Paramount the other day.

The “current plan” part leaves a lot to the imagination, and some people have gotten very creative. I’m not oblivious to the recent news and ramifications, however it’s nice for HD DVD owners to know what’s really happening out there.