Official: HD DVD dead and buried, format war is over

[MeNimbus]

LINK

Time to return the HD-DVD and buy a Blu-ray player. Or better yet, buy a PS3.

It's official. Toshiba just made a statement saying, " it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders." Cessation of the player and recorders are targeted for March 2008. Volume production of HD DVD disk drives for PCs and games will end in the same time frame. However, Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation did say that Toshiba will, "continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives." That's it folks, the format war is over, Blu-ray has won. Full press release after the break.

Update: Besides stating "no plans" to go Blu-ray during the Q&A, Toshiba committed to stockpiling HD DVD recording media for those who own HD DVD recorders. These will be sold on-line. As for future HD DVD software releases, Mr. Nishida could only say, "it was not our business, we cannot predict their business." Oh really? Is the lack of new titles on a dead platform really so hard to predict?


Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses

19 February, 2008

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content

TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."

Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.

Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.

This decision will not impact on Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.

Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.

[Sawyer]

If you had been following this format war you would have known this for some time now. All the signs were there. Major studios jumping ship and major price slashes on HD DVD units.

[muziq]

And Walmart announced yesterday that it would cease orders for HDDVD players and discs as well. Am so glad I waited out this format war Now if I can just make it to my bday, and convince my gf that a Blu-ray player really is more important than a bday cake...

[MeNimbus]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

If you had been following this format war you would have known this for some time now. All the signs were there. Major studios jumping ship and major price slashes on HD DVD units.

Way ahead of you...I actually bought a PS3 when it was originally released. I do not own a HD-DVD player nor any HD-DVDs. I have even contributed to this war by only buying Blu-ray discs from Amazon during the holiday season.

[King James]

Glad to see the right format won this time. I too have not purchased a hd dvd drive for my xbox or any hd dvd movies.

[baglorious]

Ah, crap. I just traded my standard DVD "Planet Earth" series (that I got for Christmas) to a friend who had an HD-DVD version (that he got for Christmas but has no HDTV)... because I was certain I'd upgrade to the HD player eventually, and figured I wan't the HD version when that occurred.

Now I shan't be buying an HD-DVD player, obviously.

Crap.


Ah well. I'm happy that the grand mystery is now solved anyway.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by muziq

Am so glad I waited out this format war

Me too! For once, procrastination pays off for us Heath!

[raisin]

Originally Posted by King James

Glad to see the right format won this time. I too have not purchased a hd dvd drive for my xbox or any hd dvd movies.

Yes, a pyrric victory perhaps... There is not much time left for a "golden era" of blueray, before downloaded video takes over the market.

[pbrennan10]

Here Comes The Next Format!