We'd never accuse an organization like the Blu-ray Disc Association of getting cocky or anything, but man, it seems that the mourning period for HD DVD is over on its end. In light of the big Wal-Mart announcement that came down today and hot on the heels of similar recent decisions by Netflix and BestBuy, the association's chairman Andy Parson issued the following statement:

Retailers have a tremendous impact on consumer preferences, and as the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart's reach and leadership are unparalleled. Their decision to support only Blu-ray, particularly in light of the string of similar announcements from the content and retail communities over the last six weeks, seems to us to be a very clear statement that Blu-ray Disc has emerged as the format of choice for high definition home entertainment.

And just in case that statement wasn't enough to convince us, the transmission also featured the following handy timeline for reference.