Rumor: Toshiba set to kill off HD DVD format

by Kyle Orland { Feb 15th 2008 at 12:00PM }

While the writing has been on the wall as far as HD DVD is concerned for a some time now, today's Hollywood Reporter story takes that writing, highlights it in thick black ink, and draws some big red arrows pointing towards it. Citing "reliable industry sources," the entertainment newspaper predicts Toshiba will officially stop supporting the high-definition movie format "sometime in the coming weeks."

If true, the move would somewhat validate Sony's costly decision to integrate Blu-ray technology into the PS3, and would give Sony a rather large stake in the future of the lucrative HD home movie market. While the death of HD DVD would obviously be a blow to Microsoft's external HD DVD drive (and everyone who bought it), Microsoft has said again and again they are open to the idea of a Blu-ray attachment if and when that format wins out. Which, at this point, seems like only a matter of time ...

[Via Engadget]

Tags: Blu-ray, console-wars, format, format-wars, HD, HD-DVD, high-def, movie, movie-wars

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

DMeisterJ @ Feb 15th 2008 12:04PM

HD-DVD=Dead.

xFenixKnightx @ Feb 15th 2008 12:12PM

Im glad its over, also glad I picked up teh psthreez =) and never bought that crappy add-on. Soooooo Transformers on Blu-ray?! w00t!!!

FrankTheCrank @ Feb 15th 2008 12:44PM

HAHAHAHA....HD-DVD is DEAD!!!

WALMART put the final nail in the coffin.

Time to celebrate by buying three more Bluray discs...

360 HD DVD dorks feel the burn...

NATO_Duke @ Feb 15th 2008 12:49PM

Frank, did that post make sense to you when you wrote it? Seriously - read it. Does that make any sense? Celebrate by buying some discs? What?

James @ Feb 15th 2008 12:55PM

OMGWTF does Fenix work for Sony today......

Trev @ Feb 15th 2008 12:59PM

I don't know, James. I'm a little scared myself. Next it will be raining fire and toads, the seas will boil and Jack Thompson will win a Battle Raper ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Raper ) tournament.

xFenixKnightx @ Feb 15th 2008 1:02PM

Ive always preferred Bluray over HDDVD, always! Now as for my gaming...

Marty @ Feb 15th 2008 1:09PM

I just hope this doesn't start a trend of new media formats being included in new gaming devices. Not that I'm seeing a whole lot of people jumping to convert from SD to HD anyway.

Wonderflex @ Feb 15th 2008 5:29PM

I don't see new media being tied to consoles as a future trend. I do see consoles helping push new media though.

If new media was brought about by a console then we should all be watching movies on GD-Roms.

ViagraFiend @ Feb 15th 2008 12:07PM

I'm glad I made the right decision.

FOXHOUND @ Feb 15th 2008 12:17PM

Same here. -hugs PS3-

I just wish this whole debacle didn't last as long as it had.

FidliousWong @ Feb 15th 2008 12:51PM

Well, it's not officially over but it's over enough for me. I'm just waiting for some of the exclusives to come over. Then again, I'm also waiting for Wings of Honneamise to finally drop in price on BluRay. For me, that movie legitimized anime and it was truly moving. But right now, it on BluRay with the DVD version is like $60...

Korova @ Feb 15th 2008 10:49PM

I'm glad I made no decision.

Careful walking next to tall buildings this weekend, everyone, you may get hit by a high speed defenestrated HDDVD player or add on.

Trev @ Feb 15th 2008 12:08PM

Good.

Just get it over with so we can have a single format for HD movies.

MariosInferno @ Feb 15th 2008 12:15PM

I still don't understand why so many believe this format war was bad for consumers. Competition is driven by choice...competition typically leads to lower prices. Last I checked lower prices are better for the consumer.

Why are we demanding a single format??? I had NO problems letting this grag out for another year or two.

ViagraFiend @ Feb 15th 2008 12:24PM

We want a single format and then price gets lowered by brand competition.

Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, LG, Pioneer, all of them will try and make the better priced player for your money so competition is still there.

XanthouS @ Feb 15th 2008 12:45PM

@MariosInferno

In most cases, your argument for competition is 100% correct. For example, it's great that M$ created a console to truely compete with Sony, it is giving us consumers a better overall product, no matter which choice we make.

However, multimedia format competition doesn't benefit the consumer or the industry in the same way. Having two or more distinct formats leads to widespread consumer confusion (not everyone reads Joystiq/Engadget on a daily basis).

Prices stay high because resources are so widespread. Sales slump because few consumers are willing to make the financial investment into an unsure future. When a clear-cut winner emerges, companies quickly compete to put the best player on the market. This competition leads to a better product at a lower price. Disc prices soon see a decline in price as well.

Ben Hobbs @ Feb 15th 2008 1:18PM

Doesn't make any sense.....

Samsung, LG, Philips, Pioneer and Sony etc... aren't competitors until their technology becomes the only one available? I think now you will see price collusion and those companies taking advantage of the fact that this is the only technology available?

They haven't exactly been racing each other to reduce price until now... I don't see a mad rush coming anytime soon.

webrunner @ Feb 15th 2008 1:25PM

Let's say we have four companies.
Companies A through D.

There's format 1 and Format 2.

Companies A and B make Format 1 drives. Company C makes format 2 drives. Company D makes drives for both formats.

Now, all four companies are competing with each other on the overall "media" stage, but only A,B,and D are competing in Format 1, and only C and D compete in format 2, which means there's less DIRECT competition.

Once there's only one format, and all four companies are making format 1 drives, then we're in a very similar situation: We have four companies in competition, only now they're in direct competition.

Remember, you're not buying "blu ray" or "HDDVD" you're buying PLAYERS and DISCS. Blu Ray and HDDVD aren't competing products, that you pay for, and so competition does not help the consumer at all.

h0mi @ Feb 15th 2008 1:34PM

@ anti-dual format persons.

How did that work with DVD+ and DVD- media?

XanthouS @ Feb 15th 2008 1:42PM

homi, your argument holds no weight.

You're talking about a very small market in burnable DVD media. HD-DVD and Blu-ray are/were fighting for the future (at the very least the next 5 years or so) of HD home video market.

The whole DVD- DVD+ DVD-ROM diasco was such a mess, and the formats were so similar, that most companies just started creating burners and read and recorded at all of those media types.

Warner Bros. wanted to attempt something similar in an HD-DVD/Blu-ray dual disk, but decided it wasn't a feasible idea.

David @ Feb 15th 2008 2:28PM

@ XanthouS

If you didn't put that $ sign on the MS, I would have read your post. Welcome to 2000 where it's really that cool to put $ in MS. Welcome.

LaughingTarget @ Feb 16th 2008 10:24AM

Yet everyone calls multiple home console hardware options a good thing...

xFenixKnightx @ Feb 15th 2008 12:08PM

RIP

darkeyez @ Feb 15th 2008 12:09PM

and i bet a few years down the line there will be people that still swear HDDVD is the superior format, etc.

Sean D. @ Feb 15th 2008 12:31PM

Your icon just reminded me...

GREAT! Now I have to shell out another $180 for Star Trek TOS on Bluray...

Brucie B @ Feb 15th 2008 12:34PM

Maybe because it is/was!?

baby sea tuna @ Feb 15th 2008 1:11PM

Yeah, it was. I've got both so I really don't care (as long as my HD-DVD drive doesn't break) but it was the better format.

Well, at least now I'll be able to pick up Out of Sight, Army of Darkness and all the other Universal titles I wanted on the cheap...

Vidikron (FU) @ Feb 15th 2008 1:38PM

@bst

Ummm, no, it's not. They finished their spec sooner, but the 2.0 spec basically puts them on the same playing field in terms of features. The only meaningful permanent advantage is the storage space provided by BR. That extra space allows for higher bitrate encodes and more room uncompressed audio tracks. BR is the superior technology.

samfish @ Feb 15th 2008 1:47PM

It's the superior technology, but not the superior format, when you factor in things like BR's horrible DRM protection methods and such.
HD-DVD was much more open.

To my eyes, HD-DVD was the better choice.

Kendall B @ Feb 15th 2008 12:12PM

Yay singular format. boo DRM on said format.

miyagi @ Feb 15th 2008 12:12PM

Also....

Wal*mart is killing off HD DVD by June

Read it over at your sister blog:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/15/wal-mart-to-officially-discontinue-hd-dvd-sales-by-june/

k04sm02 @ Feb 15th 2008 12:12PM

meh. spent 200 on mine, have some great HD movies and a solid upconverting player. now those HDDVDs will get even cheaper. ive made worse purchases.

XanthouS @ Feb 15th 2008 12:46PM

Like your 360?

...Had to do it. @_@

k04sm02 @ Feb 15th 2008 3:51PM

actually my 360 was still one of my best purchases ive made. launch day, no problems so far, a crapload of great games.

i just didnt want to get the HD-DVD add on because of the USB connectivity. standalone was better for me.

upz @ Feb 15th 2008 12:13PM

Hey, where's the Kushiel007 guy that skipped CDs altogether? Get ready to skip another format generation.

Noshino @ Feb 15th 2008 12:58PM

He went on hibernation til the next non Sony format appears...

Chris! @ Feb 15th 2008 12:13PM

Is Blu-ray really the future? I figure in a few years everything will be digital downloads.

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring) @ Feb 15th 2008 12:20PM

More than a few actually. Digital Downloads are the future no doubt, but I think physical media has at least a decade's worth of time left.

For all that people complain about BD+ DRM, it's nothing compared to digital download DRM and format conflicts. I got a few episodes of Heroes from Amazon, but I can't transfer 'em anywhere because none of my 3 portable devices are on the list. And this is setting aside bandwidth problems and quality issues.

B1gC72 - PSN: KillaKornbread @ Feb 15th 2008 12:22PM

it is very possible but i think there will be another physical format thrown in there between first. after that, most should have super high speed internet in which they can stream or download from the comfort of their homes.

makishima @ Feb 15th 2008 12:22PM

Granted digital downloads are going to be the future, the problem is that it wont be the future for quite some time. Sure you can easily grab a movie off of Live, but there are so many problems with digital distribution right now from DRM issues to bandwidth, and the biggest one being the average person does NOT have a device that can easily download, store, and allow them to watch their favorite tv shows and movies. I am actually kinda sick of people (not you specifically but a lot of people on these blogs) saying "Oh screw a Hi-Def format, digital downloads ftw!" It's gonna be a long while before those are prevalent enough and cost effective enough to NOT have a physical media. And with digital downloads some of the best parts about the current physical media (Blu-Ray and standard dvd's) are lost. Where is my bonus download of all the cool extras that are standard on DVD? Oh I would have to wait another 30-45 minutes for those....well in that amount of time I could drive to the store, buy the friggen movie, watch the special features, and start watching something else. Granted that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but please, Enough with digital downloads. Call me when they can do everything a DVD or Blu-Ray disk can, at the same resolutions, in a timely manner.

Matt @ Feb 15th 2008 12:25PM

You are right. Apple TV, The Netflix partnership with LG, etc. Blu-Ray is just the interim. Of course, I'm talking movies in general.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 15th 2008 1:23PM

Once you've got it digital, its only a matter of time before the haxxors figure out how to strip the files of their DRM, giving you your rights as a consumer back.

SneezyPorcupine @ Feb 15th 2008 1:46PM

See what I don't understand is, why won't they make the online distribution services similar to Pay Per View that cable companies already provide. When I order a Pay Per View, I don't sit there for a few hours waiting for it to download. It is directly streamed, and it can be setup so that its always available.

The only problem I can see is that most of the time your cable bandwidth is quite a bit wider than your internet...but even that is due to the restrictions that the cable companies create.

Nevertheless, I think HD DVD was the better format as well...having gotten the 360 addon for free I can't complain too much, but I was VERY VERY happy with itand preferred it over my friends' PS3s.

Not to say that Bluray sux, but HD DVD just felt like alot more thought out and a tighter package. Besides, the players were waaaay cheaper. Its kind of sad that it was branded the loser considering that it had everything going for it and only lost because of Sony's PS3/Bluray trojan.

And I really don't like the idea of Sony controlling all of the new media distribution format.Granted, there are alot of companies who are members of the Bluray forum, nontheless, Sony has left a bad taste in my mouth over the past decade with its high price inflations. For god sakes, The Sony Stores here in Canada still sell MONSTER branded HDMI cables for upwards of $150. Thats not even Sony branded!!!!

Now if only Microsoft had thought this through from the beginning and had somehow made the HD DVD addon similar enough to the Bluray mechanisim so that it could simply be turned into a Bluray player with a firmware update...you know...just as a fail safe.

And just as a last note, does anyone else get the feeling that alot of lawsuites may come out of this? Considering how many pissed off people may sue Toshiba or who have you for selling a brick?

samfish @ Feb 15th 2008 1:57PM

I've more or less gone digital myself...at least as much as reasonably possible. I use an HTPC for all my movie/music watching needs. I only buy DVDs now if I want the physical copy for some reason. All my movies are otherwise digital, though.

But I agree that it'll be a good 10 years still before we've gone predominantly digital. The only reason we haven't yet it because of groups like the MPAA holding us back.