Toshiba slashes HD DVD player prices
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Toshiba America Consumer Products said it cut prices of its HD DVD players to boost market adoption of its next-generation DVD players by mainstream consumers after what it said was a successful fourth quarter in unit sales.
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Japan's Toshiba Corp. said on Wednesday it would introduce notebook computers with HD DVD technology in the last quarter of 2005 in a move to pressure rivals in the battle over formats for next-generation DVDs.
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In a sign the high-definition format war is far from over, Toshiba on Monday dropped the suggested retail price of its entry-level HD DVD player to under $150. That puts the HD-A3 $250 cheaper than Sony's PlayStation 3.
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Toshiba Corp said on Sunday its HD DVD high-definition video format is not dead despite being dealt a big setback by Warner Bros studio's decision to exclusively back Sony Corp's rival Blu-ray technology.
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(InfoWorld) - The first laptop computer to feature an HD DVD-R drive, Toshiba's Qosmio Q30, went on sale in Japan over the weekend. HD DVD-R is the read-only version of the HD DVD format and a single-sided disc can hold up to 15GB of data. The format, which is principally backed by Toshiba, is in competition with Blu-ray Disc, which is backed by Sony. The Qosmio G30/97A is an upgraded model of the existing Qosmio laptop computer that is already on sale in several markets worldwide. It is based on an Intel 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor and has a 17-inch widescreen display with 1,920 pixel by 1,280 pixel resolution, which means it can show high-definition images from HD DVD movie discs. The 4.8-kg machine also features a 320GB hard-disk drive, digital TV tuner and HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) output. ToshibaÂ announced the laptopÂ in mid-January also displayed at the recentÂ International Consumer Electronics ShowÂ (CES) in Las Vegas in January. It's on sale for around Â¥373,365 ($3,085) in Japan at present. Toshiba hasn't announced international launch plans or prices but says it will go on sale overseas. To coincide with the launch of the new laptop, Hitachi MaxellÂ is putting blank HD DVD-R media on the market for around Â¥1,500 per disc. Â
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Toshiba has hammered another nail in the Blu-Ray coffin, by announcing a dual layer HD-DVD and DVD disc. This means that studios will be able to sell discs that have the DVD version on one side and the HD-DVD
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Toshiba will discontinue its HD DVD products, it said Tuesday, handing victory to rival high definition disc format Blu-ray Disc.The company will no longer develop, manufacture, and market HD DVD players and recorders.It will reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail markets and aims to cease the businesses altogether by the end of March.But the Japanese electronics giant pledged to provide full product support and after-sales service for owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.Recent changes in the market prompted the decision, Toshiba said. Early this year,&#160;Warner Bros. said it would stop issuing movies on HD DVD&#160;in the coming months and rely exclusively on Blu-ray Disc. The Hollywood studio was one of three major studios remaining in the HD DVD camp, and its defection created widespread belief that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc was now over.More recently, major U.S. retail chain&#160;Wal-Mart announced it would phase out the sale of HD DVD products, moving to exclusivity with Blu-ray Disc. Electronics retailer Best Buy also said it would back Blu-ray Disc, but it did not say it would stop offering HD DVD.Warner made its decision based on consumer confusion and indifference to high definition movies, an indifference that cost Hollywood in lost revenue, it said. Wal-Mart said U.S. customers preferred Blu-ray Disc movies and hardware. Blu-ray Disc is the high definition disc format championed by Sony.&quot;This once again shows why incompatible and mutually exclusive formats should be avoided at all cost by the industry,&quot; said Carl Gressum, a senior analyst at Ovum. &quot;It reduces profitability and delays customer adoption.&quot;&quot;The big question is, however, the impacts on Toshiba as an electronics company,&quot; he added. &quot;It has after all bet its disc media business on HD DVD, as well as gone for HD DVD integration into some of its laptop PCs. The channel has inventory to clear, and demands from owners of HD DVD players.&quot;Toshiba said its decision came after careful analysis of the long-term impact of continuing the format war, and said a swift decision was called for to help the high definition market develop.The company also pledged to remain a player in the high definition market. Developing HD DVD created many assets for Toshiba and its partners, which include Microsoft, Intel, HP, and Universal Studios, the company said. Toshiba plans to work with these companies to seek future business opportunities.&#160;&#160;
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Toshiba announced this week that it is aiming to sell laptop computers loaded with its next generation DVD drive by next year. Toshiba&#39;s next generation standard, called HD DVD, is in competition with the
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Japan's Toshiba Corp (6502.T) will  announce plans to cease production and sales of HD DVD players  on Tuesday, the Nikkei business daily said.
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Japan's Toshiba Corp.  has  lowered its sales target for high definition DVD players and  recorders on slower-than-expected unit sales in the U.S.,  putting a damper on Toshiba's prospects in one of its growth  businesses.
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Toshiba's second generation of HD DVD players will feature a trimmer look and new remote-control features.
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According to industry reports, Toshiba has invested nearly $3 million for a 30-second advertising spot in Sunday's Super Bowl. The company plans to use the spot to highlight its lineup of low-priced HD-DVD players.
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(InfoWorld) - Vendors supporting HD DVD are cutting prices to boost their products, which are vying with Blu-ray disc technology to replace current DVD movie discs. Next month, consumers can expect to find a range of entry-level players priced at around â¬300 ($409), the HD DVD Promotional Group announced Friday at theÂ IFA international consumer electronics show in Berlin. The price is nearly half of what many entry models in Europe currently cost, said Oliver Van Wynendaele, a manager in Toshiba's HD DVD group. Canada's Venturer Electronics plans to launch its SHD-7000 player at around â¬300 next month, while Toshiba will offer its HD-EP30 model for around â¬350, Van Wynendaele said. Toshiba will also give buyers five free discs. Toshiba will begin equipping its notebook PCs with HD DVD drives in the fourth quarter, according to Yoshihide Fujii, Toshiba corporate senior vice president and president and CEO of the company's digital media network unit.
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So Toshiba finally threw in the towel on its HD DVD format today, making Blu-ray  the winner in the hi-def war. Consumers, however, could be the losers because without competition, there's no incentive for cheaper Blu-ray players.
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Japan&#39;s Toshiba Corp. (6502.T) has  lowered its sales target for high definition DVD players and  recorders on slower-than-expected unit sales in the U.S.,  putting a damper on Toshiba&#39;s prospects in one of its growth  businesses.
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Another Blu-ray player price cut is on the way.
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Toshiba said today it will make its second generation of high-definition DVD players available for sale in the United States. The players will come in two models -- the entry-level HD-A2 and the higher-end HD-XA2 -- and offer improved player performance over the current line, said Toshiba vice president of marketing Jodi Sally.