Toshiba Halts HD DVD Player Production

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20080216/tc_pcworld/142579' target='_blank'>http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/200..._pcworld/142579</a><br /><br /></div><em>&quot;Toshiba has halted production of HD DVD players and recorders and is close to making a decision on whether to throw in the towel on the high-definition movie disc format, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Saturday evening. The decision, which NHK said will likely cost the company several tens of billions of dollars, is being made in the face of flagging support by movie studios and major U.S. retailers. &quot;We are making considerations following the impact on sales of Warner's announcement but we haven't made any decision,&quot; said Keisuke Ohmori, a spokesman for Toshiba, when reached on Saturday evening. He was referring to the January decision by Warner Bros to stop issuing movies on HD DVD and go solely with Blu-ray Disc. Other local media reports on Saturday said an official announcement from Toshiba is likely in the coming week.&quot;</em><br /><br />The fat lady? She's singing.

[Chris Gohlke]

Bring on the clearanced movies (especially if they are the dual disks).

[Stinger]

Toshiba's share price is up 6% on the news and rightfully so.

It takes a smart company to admit defeat and cut their losses. It's the right thing to do in the long run.

Hopefully the entire industry can learn from this mess. Somehow I doubt it though.

[Ed Hansberry]

The decision, which NHK said will likely cost the company several tens of billions of dollars,
It is actually hundreds of millions of dollars, or tens of billions of yen.

I am glad the war is over. I am very sorry Sony won though. I am still in no rush to get a blu-ray device. :mad:

[onlydarksets]

The Yahoo article does say tens of billions of dollars, but you're right - it's yen:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1643184420080216

[Stinger]

I am glad the war is over. I am very sorry Sony won though. I am still in no rush to get a blu-ray device. :mad:

It's not just Sony who won. It's also Apple, Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sun, TDK, Thomson, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney and Warner's baby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association#Board_of_Directors). You shouldn't have a problem picking up a non-Sony player.

Don't forget that Microsoft's VC-1 codec is part of the Blu Ray spec too.

I'm hoping for a Blu Ray add-on drive for the Xbox 360. :)

[MarxMarvelous]

Ah well... too bad.

Let me know when I can buy a standalone BR player for the same price that I paid for my HD-A2 (under $150).

Whenever that happens, I'll evaluate the state of downloadable content and make the decision on whether I want to get on board with another generation of shiny discs :)

[Ed Hansberry]

It's not just Sony who won. It's also Apple, Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sun, TDK, Thomson, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney and Warner's baby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association#Board_of_Directors). You shouldn't have a problem picking up a non-Sony player.
http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=eco&article=470726&lng=1

This is a Sony win. Everyone else was just along for the ride. I guess after they lost with Betamax, DAT audio tapes, the memorystick and probably a few other formats, it was their time to win one. Bleh.

[Jonathon Watkins]

This is a Sony win......... Bleh.

I share your pain. :-(

At least the bad guys don't win very often. ;-)

[Stinger]

This is a Sony win. Everyone else was just along for the ride. I guess after they lost with Betamax, DAT audio tapes, the memorystick and probably a few other formats, it was their time to win one. Bleh.

Sony used to have a pretty good track record with winning. Don't forget both the CD and 3.5" floppy were developed by Sony. They also had a very large hand in making DVD the success that it has become.

I don't think they're any more evil than any of the big companies (Microsoft and Apple included). They've lost their way at times but the market always makes companies see the errors of their way eventually.

[David Tucker]

As I like to say...BluRay won the right to be the next Laser Disc!

[Jason Dunn]

As I like to say...BluRay won the right to be the next Laser Disc!

Haha...nice saying! I don't think Blu-ray will be another laser disc, but I'm not sure it will be a whole lot better than that...downloading true HD is still pretty far away as a replacement for DVD, and consumers don't want to give up DVD. I think the only way Blu-ray is going to replace DVD is through slow attrition of the format.

[Jeff_R]

Haha...nice saying! I don't think Blu-ray will be another laser disc, but I'm not sure it will be a whole lot better than that...downloading true HD is still pretty far away as a replacement for DVD, and consumers don't want to give up DVD. I think the only way Blu-ray is going to replace DVD is through slow attrition of the format.

I agree, although I may be a touch more optimistic about Blu-ray's chances to exceed laser. I'd put its penetration at around 40-60% of DVD by the time downloads become a genuine alternative.

I think the most important thing to remember is that these are different times; laserdisc came out at a time when people were less demanding of fidelity in their entertainment, but HD displays are different and, when the equipment is right, Blu-ray knocks DVD on its rear. (This is highly subjective, of course; there are people who notice and people who don't, just like some people notice DTS over regular sound and some people notice CD versus MP3. It varies.)

But there's no way I'm replacing my DVD collection 100% with Blu-ray. A few, sure, like LOTR and The Matrix, but that copy of Tank Girl is just fine as is. :-)

[rbg08]

I'm just glad one format clearly won. It's much better than having two competing technologies confusing consumers. I plan to buy my first HDTV this holiday season and now I can plan my purchases around a Blue-Ray setup without fearing the technology may be obsolete soon. Hopefully the price on Blue-Ray drives (both PC and standalone) will now come down faster.