Toshiba to Give Up on HD Format, Ceding Field to Sony
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The Toshiba Corporation is planning to give up on its HD DVD format, formally conceding defeat to the competing Blu-ray technology backed by Sony.
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News is spreading that Toshiba plans to stop manufacturing plasma display panel (PDP) TVs in Japan by next summer. On other markets it will discontinue the products after that.
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Handing a victory to Blu-ray disc technology in the format battle for next-generation video, Toshiba said it would no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players.
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Toshiba Corp. on Monday announced an aggressive campaign to bolster its HD DVD movie disc format against Sony-backed Blu-ray technology, cutting prices on players to as low as $149.99.
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Ending a multiyear format battle with Sony-backed Blu-ray, Toshiba finally throws in the towel Tuesday, announcing it will no longer manufacture or sell HD DVD equipment.
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Defunct format sell-off eBay said today it expects to an increase in listings for HD DVD products following Toshiba's announcement yesterday that it is going to ditch its optical disc format.â¦
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Japan's Toshiba Corp  waved the  white flag in the high-definition home movie war on Tuesday,  giving up on its HD DVD format after losing the support of key  studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony  Corp .
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So why buy HD DVD discs then? A week after the battle with Blu-ray Disc swung further toward that rival format, Toshiba said it will promote its players on their ability to upscale standard-definition content for HDTVs.â¦
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With the news early Tuesday that Toshiba is ending the next generation optical disc war by pulling the plug on HD DVD, the manufacturer said it has no plans to support or manufacture Blu-ray players. Likewise, Microsoft said it has no plans to announce.
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General Electric Co's   Universal Pictures, one of a few studios using the Toshiba  Corp-backed  HD DVD format, said on Tuesday it will  switch to the rival Blu-ray format now that Toshiba has  officially pulled the plug on HD DVD.
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Toshiba will release a notebook PC with an HD DVD drive this time next year, the Japanese company said today, returning fire after an initial salvo from Sony in the battle for the future of blue-laser optical media.
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Japan's Toshiba Corp  waved the  white flag in the home movie war, giving up on its HD DVD  format after losing the support of key studios and retailers to  the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony Corp .
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Four major movie studios give support to Toshiba's HD DVD format.  Also: Sony gives details on new computer chip & hellip;.  Kazaa adds free internet phone calls to its repetoire & hellip;. and more.
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Japan's Toshiba Corp. has slashed its  sales target for high definition DVD players and recorders  after disappointing sales in the U.S., putting a damper on  prospects for one of its growth businesses.
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Toshiba will stop making its HD DVDs, ending a battle with rival format Blu-ray over which would be the standard.
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Toshiba&#39;s announcement to end production of HD DVD players and recorders will not affect the Xbox 360, even though Microsoft offers an optional stand-alone HD DVD drive for the game console, Microsoft said in a statement Tuesday.&quot;We do not believe&#160;Toshiba&#39;s announcement about HD DVD&#160;will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace,&quot; Microsoft said. The gaming function of the console is its main attraction, the company added.The company&#160;did not say whether or not it will stop manufacturing the HD DVD drive&#160;for the Xbox 360.Earlier Tuesday, Toshiba formally announced an end to its support of HD DVD, a high-definition optical disc format meant to replace DVDs. Toshiba was the developer and main backer of HD DVD, and its capitulation handed victory to rival format Blu-ray Disc, which has been championed by Sony.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.For game consoles, high-definition discs are growing in importance. Sony put Blu-ray Disc drives in the PlayStation 3 as a way to spread popularity of the high-definition discs. PlayStation 3 owners can play HD movies on the drives as well as advanced games. Blu-ray discs can hold far more data than conventional DVDs, and give players high definition graphics on games.At a recent game show in Taipei, Sony showed off a display of over 100 game titles created using Blu-ray Disc. A nearby Xbox 360 booth displayed the HD DVD logo and showed movies and just a few games made for the format.Recent&#160;changes in the market prompted Toshiba&#39;s decision&#160;to phase out HD DVD. Early this year, Warner Bros. said it would stop issuing movies on HD DVD 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 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.&#160;
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Four Hollywood studios promised to support Toshiba&#39;s next generation of DVD technology, due in stores next fall. The technology, called HD-DVD, is doing battle with Sony