HD-DVD - Blu Ray Format War has ended - Toshiba quits HD DVD business

[saurabh]

TOKYO - Toshiba said Tuesday it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video.

"We concluded that a swift decision would be best," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters at his company's Tokyo offices.

Read the full article here

[Hdale85]

This has been posted for several days now in the High Definition thread. And there was also a post that that information wasn't completely correct. Toshiba hasn't made a final decision on it but they are thinking about it. Of course that was posted just a couple hours ago so maybe its new news?


Edit: It apears this is new information.

[M.Roberts8]

Nice :T

[John Holmes]

Just heard the official annoucement this morning on NPR. Toshiba has called it quits.

[Blindamood]

Su-weet!

[George Bellefontaine]

We all knew it was coming. Now maybe Paramount and Universal will get with the program.

[Kevin P]

I guess I can plan on a blu-ray player under the tree next Christmas.

[csuzor]

Blu-ray Vs HD-VMD

1 down, at least 2 left standing...
now the battle will continue between Blu-ray and HD VMD

[Kevin P]

Never hoid of HD VMD. Don't think I've seen any of those on the shelves at Best Buy...

[Hdale85]

Same here.....

[Ovation]

I've heard of it, but from what I've read, it appears destined to "compete" in countries where cost of players would make Blu-ray prohibitively expensive. I doubt it gets much traction in North America or Western Europe or Japan (again, based on an article I read about it some months ago).

source

[Chris D]

Yup, it's official now. Based on how big this format war has been in this industry, I can see how a dedicated thread to the end is appropriate.

[Alloroc]

We all knew it was coming. Now maybe Paramount and Universal will get with the program.

Yep....

First link expected but the second one is lots more interesting!

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/19/paramount-and-universal-to-publish-films-on-blu-ray/

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/16/paramounts-transformers-showing-up-in-blu-ray-attire/

Maybe I won't buy that €20 HDDVDP on ebay after all!

[Alloroc]

1 down, at least 2 left standing...
now the battle will continue between Blu-ray and HD VMD

I don't think Sony need worry. From what I know it does not even support any of the HD audio formats...

That said though, 'Bollywood' have signed up to HD VMD so perhaps there is a vector to support the format's growth.

V.

[littlesaint]

Yep....

First link expected but the second one is lots more interesting!

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/19/paramount-and-universal-to-publish-films-on-blu-ray/

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/16/paramounts-transformers-showing-up-in-blu-ray-attire/

Maybe I won't buy that €20 HDDVDP on ebay after all!

Remember that Engadget is one of the more notorious sites for posting unsubstantiated "if I read it on the Internet it must be true" news. I see they have a quote from Universal, so at least that's somewhat official. I'll be satisfied when I see titles on the shelves or at least a time table for releases. Until then, it's just sound bites and posturing.

[Alloroc]

Remember that Engadget is one of the more notorious sites for posting unsubstantiated "if I read it on the Internet it must be true" news. I see they have a quote from Universal, so at least that's somewhat official. I'll be satisfied when I see titles on the shelves or at least a time table for releases. Until then, it's just sound bites and posturing.

I do believe they say that themselves in both blog entries, in fairness.....

I also can imagine that Universal is receiving more media attention than Brittany today.

I'm sure that Univseral will formally follow up with a response to this. Kinda have to really... Unless they follow Bollywood, of course...

[littlesaint]

One of the funniest rumors I've heard in all this is that Michael Bay is taking credit for HD-DVDs demise. He was quoted as saying it would "die a slow death" and it did.

I fail to see the same cause/effect relationship, but it makes for an entertaining story.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/michael-bay-wins-the-format-war

[NateTTU]

I don't poke my head into this section of the forum, but I was wondering something. Since HD DVD has now lost, what will happen to those exlusive HD DVD titles? Will they be transfered over into the blu ray format or for me to get them I still would have to buy a HD DVD player? The reason I ask is because the players are selling pretty cheap on ebay and I still haven't bought into either format and was wanting to buy into some form of HD for cheap. However, even if I purchased a HD DVD player for cheap it wouldn't mean anything if all their movies would soon be available on blu ray. I could just wait a while longer until blu ray finalizes their format and releases some decent stuff for cheap.

[littlesaint]

I don't poke my head into this section of the forum, but I was wondering something. Since HD DVD has now lost, what will happen to those exlusive HD DVD titles? Will they be transfered over into the blu ray format or for me to get them I still would have to buy a HD DVD player? The reason I ask is because the players are selling pretty cheap on ebay and I still haven't bought into either format and was wanting to buy into some form of HD for cheap. However, even if I purchased a HD DVD player for cheap it wouldn't mean anything if all their movies would soon be available on blu ray. I could just wait a while longer until blu ray finalizes their format and releases some decent stuff for cheap.

That's why I'd like to hear exactly what Universal and Paramount have planned. If they haven't been preparing for this day, it isn't going to be a quick switch to Blu-ray. The authoring is completely different. Easier for Paramount I would guess, but Universal has always been HD-DVD exclusive.

[Ovation]

Some catalogue titles that didn't sell very well (mostly Warner, actually) may take a while to see the light of day in "blu" but I expect any recent releases from Paramount and Universal will be "blu" fairly soon.

[Charles]

Another Universal link, looks like they are on board.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080219/tc_nm/universal_bluray_dc;_ylt=AnxsOMk1xOXncVWfr1NPQpwjtBAF

[imbeaujp]

Like I said previously: This is a good news to the HD DVD Owners Like me, now we can buy many HD movies at a really cheap price on ebay !

[saurabh]

And what will you do with your HD-DVD player later on when the HD-DVD media stops production completely.

Unless you have a multi-player playing both HD/Blu.

Like I said previously: This is a good news to the HD DVD Owners Like me, now we can buy many HD movies at a really cheap price on ebay !

[Hdale85]

He'll still have all his old HD-DVD's and they are excellent upconverting DVD players.

[Chris D]

And what will you do with your HD-DVD player later on when the HD-DVD media stops production completely.

Unless you have a multi-player playing both HD/Blu.

Yup, like Dougie said, at least you'll have the HD-DVD discs you already own, and a way to play them.

Such is the business of being an early adopter. We all knew we were taking a chance when we bought one format player and/or the other, before the war was over.

[saurabh]

It'll be a catch22 situation, cos of the HD-DVD player you will be tempted to add to your collection now as much as possible.

And later on because of the HD-DVD discs you collected now, you will not be able to discard your player and dont know what will happen if the player malfunctions few years down the line. How will you play your HD-DVD discs.

Best option, move over to Bluray asap, dont add any more to the HD-DVD collection, it will an be easier switch then.

[PewterTA]

Why would you pay $30 for a blu-ray movie when NOW you can get the same movie on HD-DVD for $10?

Yes you might not be able to play them later one once your HD-DVD player breaks, but is it really that big of a deal. You'll have to replace all your HD movies anyways, so why not get a few (5 years or so) out of the HD DVDs for a cheap price?

Yes some of those might not have full lossless audio that they will once on blu-ray...but I honestly don't see blu-ray lasting extremely long especially when there are formats coming out that will be cheaper to manufacturer and hold 1TB of space...??? How long will Blu-ray really last then... no one knows, but I bet it won't have over 5 years of life if even 5 years.

I say get the movies you like on HD-DVD (if you have a player already) for cheap and enjoy them for as long as you player lasts...why by blu-ray versions for more $$?

[Ovation]

I don't get the "gloom and doom" about players dying. My first CD player, purchased in 1985, still works (I gave it to a friend of mine some years ago and it is in his living room system and gets daily use). In fact, I've never had a disc player (DVD or CD) fail (1985, 1988, 1991--three CD players, all still work; 2001, 2003, 2004x2, 2007--four DVD, one HD DVD, all still work). The only one that had a problem was the one from 2003, but it is a DVD/VCR combo and the VCR mechanism, while recording, would cause a vibration that disrupted DVD playback (DVD worked fine if I wasn't recording with the VCR) and I exchanged it (though, I could have lived with it if the exchange period was over). I know problems are not unknown, but is it really that big a concern?

[littlesaint]

I don't get the "gloom and doom" about players dying. My first CD player, purchased in 1985, still works (I gave it to a friend of mine some years ago and it is in his living room system and gets daily use). In fact, I've never had a disc player (DVD or CD) fail (1985, 1988, 1991--three CD players, all still work; 2001, 2003, 2004x2, 2007--four DVD, one HD DVD, all still work). The only one that had a problem was the one from 2003, but it is a DVD/VCR combo and the VCR mechanism, while recording, would cause a vibration that disrupted DVD playback (DVD worked fine if I wasn't recording with the VCR) and I exchanged it (though, I could have lived with it if the exchange period was over). I know problems are not unknown, but is it really that big a concern?

Same here. My parents still use the Sony DVD player I purchased back in '97.

Just in case though, I'm considering buying another HD-DVD player when they drop to $100 or less. I own around 25 HD-DVDs which even at a discount would cost $500 to replace with Blu-ray. Much cheaper to just insure my HD-DVDs will play well into the future.

[audioqueso]

Yes, but CDs are still alive. DVDs are still alive. It's not the same as HD-DVD. CD and DVD are supported formats. The example is like still having and utilizing a Betamax player.

[littlesaint]

Yes, but CDs are still alive. DVDs are still alive. It's not the same as HD-DVD. CD and DVD are supported formats. The example is like still having and utilizing a Betamax player.

My point was that the DVD player is over 10 years old and works as well as the day it came out of the box. I'm not that worried about my XA2 breaking anytime soon, so no need to replace my HD-DVDs with Blu-ray discs.

[Hdale85]

And once again the XA2 is probably one of the best upconverting DVD player so there is still plenty of use for it.

[audioqueso]

One of the funniest rumors I've heard in all this is that Michael Bay is taking credit for HD-DVDs demise. He was quoted as saying it would "die a slow death" and it did.

I fail to see the same cause/effect relationship, but it makes for an entertaining story.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/edit...the-format-war

Audioholics are also the one's who did this grand test on Home Depot speaker wire vs high-priced and concluded that there is no difference. :roll:

[chrispy35]

Audioholics are also the one's who did this grand test on Home Depot speaker wire vs high-priced and concluded that there is no difference. :roll:

What difference would you expect?

[Azeke]

I reflect back to the Sony Beta max and VHS wars, although Sony Beta max seemed the better format, VHS won out, even with it's larger tapes. I think Sony learned it's lesson, and planned a better implementation strategy. I initially bought a HD-DVD player for the X-box 360, took it back (too much noise), then for a birthday gift, I purchased the Sony $499.00 Blu-Ray player, cool right. Then a couple of weeks later, Sony decides to drop the price of the PS3 60G to $399.00, I immediately took my Sony player back and picked up the PS3, seemed to make more sense from a functional perspective. Recently, I looked up the price of the PS3 for a friend and informed him to buy the 80G model because of the additional features (WiFi, bigger HD, etc.), it seems that BB and CC have recently pulled the 80G models from shelves, due to lack of sales of the 40G model. My apologies, I digressed. I am perfectly happy with my purchase, I'm sure there will be better BR players to come, but I'll just wait, the next format is just down the road.

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

[littlesaint]

What difference would you expect?

Lets keep the thread to one flamable topic only. :T

[impala454]

One of the funniest rumors I've heard in all this is that Michael Bay is taking credit for HD-DVDs demise. He was quoted as saying it would "die a slow death" and it did.

I fail to see the same cause/effect relationship, but it makes for an entertaining story.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/edit...the-format-war

It's ironic that he would say something like this, considering his movie was the best selling HD-DVD :rofl:

had to include this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vev9MJa4A-o