Sources say that Toshiba is ready to admit defeat in the high-def DVD battle and give up on its HD DVD formatToshiba Corp is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high-definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-ray technology backed by the Sony Corporation.
The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.
The format war, often compared with the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has confused consumers, unsure of which DVD or player to buy, slowing the development of the high-definition DVD industry.
Toshiba's cause has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks, including last weeks announcement by United States retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc that it would abandon the HD DVD format and stock its shelves only with Blu-ray movies.
A source at Toshiba confirmed an earlier report by public broadcaster NHK that it was getting ready to pull the plug.
NHK said Toshiba would suffer losses running to tens of billions of yen to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to withdraw from the business.
Its about time I say. I mean, it can only be a good thing to have one stable platform for the future, rather than have to decide between two (seemingly) identical technologies.
ReplyDeleteIm no expert in the field, and cant comment if the best technology won, but its good to see a winner none-the-less.
Good site, by the way, its similar to how I want mine to end up!
Thanks for your comment. I posted a few weeks ago about the advantage that Blu-ray has had on the market over the last few months, And the differences between Blu-Ray and HDTV. Only time will tell if the best Technology has won though. Blu-Ray still leads the market by a long way.
ReplyDeleteI hope the prices do go down coz a stand alone player sets you back heavily. And I also believe Blue-ray will never catch on like wildfire the way the DVD pushed VHS out because by then everyone will be concentrating on downloadable HD videos. AppleTV are already doing it. Blockbuster they are working on it
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. My opinion is that the prices wont come down for a while, I say that because Blu-Ray have 75% of market and thats increasing all the time.
ReplyDeleteIt seems this was a costly mistake for Toshiba that could well hurt their brand name. It seems better to agree on a standard before rolling out units in this day and age.
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