HD-DVD is Dead (was: First Signs of Blu-Ray Dominance)

[Vocenoctum]

Yeah, this was another shot on the way down for HD-DVD. And if this is to be belived, Toshiba is about to drop out of HD-DVD. That is a huge deal, too.

With any luck, we'll have one format only by the holiday shopping season. That would be great. This is supposed to be huge year for HD media in general.

I think we've reached the part where Toshiba starts looking for means to recoup before pronouncing the format dead. See if they can assign blame and put a dollar figure on it.

 

[John Crichton]

I think we've reached the part where Toshiba starts looking for means to recoup before pronouncing the format dead. See if they can assign blame and put a dollar figure on it.

That and now is a good time to drop it. Start concentrating on other areas of tech.

 

[trancejeremy]

Unless this is a really impressive fake, looks like Toshiba just pulled the plug

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm

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.

I have to give them props for pulling the plug so quickly. They could have stuck in it much longer, which was probably no good for anyone.

 

[Rackhir]

Unless this is a really impressive fake, looks like Toshiba just pulled the plug

http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm

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.

I have to give them props for pulling the plug so quickly. They could have stuck in it much longer, which was probably no good for anyone.

I'm seeing something similar on the english version of the Daily Yomiuri (a Japanese newspaper), though the byline is Associated Press.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_business.html

 

[John Crichton]

This one, too:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7252172.stm

Yup, stick a fork in HD-DVD. It's done.

Wow, that format war ended much quicker than I thought it would before the WB announcement. I'm still a little stunned, but mostly relieved.

 

[Arnwyn]

Yes, it's over.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/money/national/2008/02/19/toshiba.html

I know a few people were (overly, AFAIC) optimistic about HD-DVD, but it's nice to see a clear and definite winner - along with it being the superior technology, too (for once!). And surprisingly soon... the consumers only partially lost, this time.

 

[drothgery]

Yes, it's over.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/money/national/2008/02/19/toshiba.html

I know a few people were (overly, AFAIC) optimistic about HD-DVD, but it's nice to see a clear and definite winner - along with it being the superior technology, too (for once!). And surprisingly soon... the consumers only partially lost, this time.

Eh. Blu-Ray holds more per layer. HD-DVD was significantly cheaper to produce, and had a better format for interactive content (which, now that the format wars are over, one hopes the Blu-Ray group quickly incorporates).

 

[Aaron L]

They can make quad layer blu-ray disks that hold 100 gigs of data, can't they? That's all I'm concerned with; which format can hold more data. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong (which I could very well be), but I'm pretty sure I read that the most they can squeeze out of HD DVD is like 50 gigs or something.

 

[Banshee16]

Yes, it's over.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/money/national/2008/02/19/toshiba.html

I know a few people were (overly, AFAIC) optimistic about HD-DVD, but it's nice to see a clear and definite winner - along with it being the superior technology, too (for once!). And surprisingly soon... the consumers only partially lost, this time.

Not sure about the superior technology schtick. Blu-Ray is just getting to the point *now* that HDDVD was at a year ago. The only advantage they had was larger storage space, which was fairly useless, because, as explained on many tech sites, the technology will only take off when prices come down, but having prices come down is not a good incentive for companies to build a tonne of extra content to supplement movies.....because it costs money to produce that content. And without having a bunch of extra content, what exactly do you need the extra storage space for? To say nothing of the fact that Blu-Ray discs aren't dual format, they're more expensive to produce, etc.

In the end, it's moot. Blu-Ray's the victor. I doubt I'll be getting one any time soon, until the players are 2.0 compliant *and* below $200 in cost. Ithink it was a CNET article I was reading that was recommending to go ahead and buy Blu-Ray but *only* the PS3 player, as none of the others are worth the risk, as Sony has stranded a lot of early adopters, who won't be able to get their players to be 2.0 compliant. And there's a big class action suit being launched against Samsung over all of that, because the firmware they've been releasing hasn't been doing the job.

Sounds like Blu-Ray won via marketing, but isn't nearly as polished a product as HDDVD has been.

I don't think I'm going to ditch my HDDVD player. I mean, likely I'd get 25-50% of what I paid for it. As long as it keeps working, there's no sense in getting rid of it. I doubt I'll get any more movies for it though. I've actually only bought a few, and the rest came free due to various promotions.

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

They can make quad layer blu-ray disks that hold 100 gigs of data, can't they? That's all I'm concerned with; which format can hold more data. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong (which I could very well be), but I'm pretty sure I read that the most they can squeeze out of HD DVD is like 50 gigs or something.

Given how easily discs break or scratch, does 50 GB of storage on a disc really matter? That's trusting an awful lot of data to one disc..

HDDVD has been expanding in capacity, but I think Blu-Ray can expand more, whereas HDDVD discs would have a definite limit.

Banshee