Everyone, let's get together. This is (hopefully) going to be the last HD DVD/Blu-ray news you'll ever read (we're saving one post for when Microsoft joins the Blu-ray camp). After the obvious death bells were ringing, Toshiba has finally called it quits. Although HD DVD players will still be sold in stores for now, Toshiba will abandon all new production of players. Most likely, they will be quick to create a Blu-ray player of their own.According to Reuters, "Toshiba is expected to suffer losses amounting to tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) to scrap production of HD DVD players and recorders and other steps to exit the business."
That's what happens in a high-risk all-or-nothing format war. Sony must feel pretty good right about now, especially after historic defeats with Betamax, ATRAC, UMD, and more. Blu-ray in PS3 was a risky gamble: it created a price point that many mocked, and generated a good amount of negative publicity for the Japanese electronics giant. However, it was also the Trojan Horse that allowed it to gain such a large percentage of the HD-aware mindset. With this victory, it appears that Sony's plans are finally coming together.
[Thanks, Jason B.!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
2-16-2008 @ 12:12PM
KidSqueek said...
yeah hd dvd never caught my attention. it was always blu ray. so i can expect to see transformers on blu ray pretty soon? yes?
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2-16-2008 @ 12:14PM
mattclarkie said...
I am not saying that the PS3 is nothing to do with victory, but the fact that all the films that people want to buy, with a few exceptions, were Blu-ray exclusive must have been the major factor.
I for one welcome or Blu-laser firing over-lords.
Suck on that Toshiba.
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2-16-2008 @ 10:16PM
ruibing said...
I still believe it's the PS3 large install base that gave it the media sales ratio to attract the major studios.
2-16-2008 @ 12:17PM
RazielDune said...
*takes off hat* HD-DVD...we hardly knew ye... *walks off* YAY BLU-RAY
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2-16-2008 @ 12:18PM
Vincent said...
Sony wins. Flawless Victory
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2-16-2008 @ 1:01PM
emaxximus said...
Fatality!
2-16-2008 @ 1:57PM
Sauvage said...
Humiliation!
2-16-2008 @ 2:19PM
Mein Bratwurst said...
Now lets queue the fanboys who have now switched to "Well I don't care, digital distribution is the way to go".
2-16-2008 @ 9:42PM
Efeez1986 said...
Thank you! All the xbox fanboys have been saying that shit just to make up excuses for Microsoft like they always do. Digital downloads will never overtake dvd's.
2-16-2008 @ 7:05PM
klexam said...
No matter about digital distribution because we are always going to need a good viable storage medium. Read my review on what I believe the next will be at www.layeredcontent.com
2-16-2008 @ 12:24PM
seansloan said...
now i cant wait to get the bourne movies.Snap to it!
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2-16-2008 @ 12:27PM
Tom said...
At long last. HD-DVD was the inferior format by miles and it's great news that consumers no longer have to worry about which HD format to choose.
By the way, did you see this post comparing Blu-Ray, Apple TV, DVD and HD cable? It's worth a look. http://ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/apple-tv-20-vs-blu-ray-dvd-hd-cable-the-comparison/
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2-16-2008 @ 3:01PM
Popfrogs said...
To be perfectly honest, it was the superior format. They had their profiles set in stone from day one...all it was missing was capacity. The BR profiles are still evolving. Notice how spec 2.0 is mentioned here and there and the PS3 is one of the few BR players that will/can actually support it. And we *just* got profile 1.1 a few months ago on the PS3 for picture-in-picture that HD-DVD had all along.
Let's be fanboys but fair as well. It was a nice try Toshiba, even with Microsoft and your group buying exclusivity deals with studios and playing nice with the porn industry, it just wasn't meant to be.
2-16-2008 @ 4:23PM
Extinction said...
To be perfectly honest, HD DVD was inferior.
Profiles mean jack.
2-16-2008 @ 12:27PM
Bob said...
*pops in CD....presses play*
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!
*dances*
Haha, sorry, I had to. This makes me happy as my mom almost went out and got my dad an HD-DVD player for christmas. I told her the end was near soon, and Blu-ray would prevail. I cant wait for great titles like....Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and so many more.
Congratulations everyone and Sony! The future truly is Blu. :)
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2-16-2008 @ 12:31PM
Phoenix8387 said...
VICTORY!!!!
Now, the PS3 just needs to keep its momentum going.
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2-16-2008 @ 2:43PM
bAssackwards said...
With the games it has coming to it this year, I'm sure that the PS3 won't have much problem gaining momentum.
2-16-2008 @ 12:31PM
Chris Rah Osiris said...
Now for the celebration. *pre-orders ID4*
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2-16-2008 @ 12:32PM
sean said...
i think PS3 is one of the main reason blu ray won. but haveing disney exclusive from the start also had a big hand in it. plus sonys movies were only comin out on bluray obviously. well atleast now ill get to see some universal movies in HD
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2-16-2008 @ 12:33PM
ballison_mt said...
Yay! I had almost gone out and bought one of the the cheap HD DVD players as an insurance policy against Sony losing the format war. Now I don't have to as Toshiba's format will die on the vine like I had hoped when I originally bought the PS3. This is one time I went with a Sony proprietary format and was not hung out to dry (I actually backed Betamax over VHS because it had much better video at the time). All I can say now is "whew", as I wipe my brow.
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