toshiba posts (Subscribe to this feed)
Book covers creation of PS3's Cell processor, how Microsoft cribbed it for Xbox
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Dec 31st 2008 at 12:00PM }
According to the book, Sony, Toshiba and IBM started working on the Cell in 2001 and planned to spend $400 million over five years. If everything went according to plan, the PlayStation 3 would be out by Christmas 2005. In 2002, Microsoft approached IBM about making a chip for what would later be known as the Xbox 360. IBM ended up making a new chip "built around the core" of the Cell it was currently creating for Sony. In the end, Xbox made the 2005 launch (with a time bomb under the hood) and Sony came out a year later.
As the WSJ points out, for all the power and money behind Microsoft and Sony's consoles, Nintendo has outsold both using a "sound strategic vision" with the less-powerful Wii.
Rumorang: Xbox 360 external Blu-ray drive ready, waiting
by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 8th 2008 at 12:28PM }
X-bit labs speculates Microsoft may launch the external drive this holiday, but with reportedly low sales, Blu-ray could likely wait until a proper CES unveiling. Still, we've got TGS popping off in mere hours and Blu-ray's clock ticking down every day. No time to waste then?
45nm Cell processors coming in 2009
by Ross Miller { Sep 22nd 2008 at 3:40PM }
There is no reported time frame indicating when in 2009 production will begin. The new chip will also be cheaper to produce, meaning Sony is approximately 200% more likely to use these for PS3 production as soon as feasibly possible.
[Via Engadget]
Toshiba reportedly set to lose nearly $1 billion in wake of HD-DVD format death
by Griffin McElroy { Mar 16th 2008 at 9:00PM }
In order to truly enter a format war, one must possess a number of things. The first, of course, is a viable format, unique from all others currently on the market. The second is the persistence to constantly push your format on as many film companies and consumer electronics producers as you possibly can, to ensure your victory. Finally, should said victory never come, you must possess a strong stomach and a wide wallet -- as losing a format war is a costly and heartbreaking endeavor. According to the Nikkea Business Daily, Toshiba is learning this lesson to the tune of a ¥100 billion loss in revenue this year (to grasp the magnitude of this loss, here it is in numeric form: ¥100,000,000,000) or roughly $986 million in U.S. cash. We usually leave the economic speculation to the experts, but we're pretty sure that's a large sum of money that Toshiba would rather not part with. But as they say, in order to make an omelet, you've got to break a few eggs; though sometimes, you have to break 100 billion eggs, only to find that nobody wants to eat your omelet. Okay, nobody says that.
Toshiba moves to back the PS3 and the Cell
by Nick Doerr { Feb 25th 2008 at 3:30PM }
Basically, starting in April, Toshiba is going to assist Sony in producing Cell and RSX chips. Take note that in days past, Toshiba didn't really sing praise to either of these technologies and wouldn't put them in their own products. Now they sing a different tune. Sony and Toshiba were in talks since last October about these facilities but couldn't agree on a price -- the fall of HD DVD may have led both to find a resolution and we're glad to have Toshiba on board.
It's official: HD DVD has officially died an official death
by Kyle Orland { Feb 19th 2008 at 6:45PM }
We were pretty certain when we first heard the rumors, and we were even more certain when other sources said an official announcement was coming. Now that the official announcement from Toshiba has officially happened, we're officially 100% sure that HD DVD is officially dead. Official!Well, maybe we should scale that back a little. Although lead company Toshiba has said they'll no longer make HD DVD players, they are reportedly stocking up on recordable HD DVD media for those who want to make their own discs (remember: BetaMax lasted for years as a professional recording format for broadcast outlets). And there's nothing preventing entertainment companies from continuing to put out HD DVDs if they want to. We don't know why they'd want to but hey. if people are still making Sega Genesis games, anything is possible.
Toshiba officially bows out of next-gen format war
by Jem Alexander { Feb 19th 2008 at 10:00AM }
We suspect we'll hear from Universal and Paramount before too long regarding their schedule for Blu-Ray releases. Finally we can expect to see films like Serenity and TV shows like Heroes on our favourite Hi-Def medium. Obviously, we'll keep you up to date with any announcements these studios make. The "war" is finally, officially, over. How does that make you feel?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Toshiba responds to 'HD DVD is dead' rumors
by Dustin Burg { Feb 18th 2008 at 11:30AM }
Let's be honest guys, it hasn't been the best week for team HD DVD. Retailers have been dropping support left and right, wild speculation has been running rampant across the internets and Engadget even put HD DVD on their "death watch" list. Ouch. Rumors have even been swirling that Toshiba will be announcing the death of HD DVD as early as sometime this week. But we're guessing Toshiba isn't ready to pull the plug yet as earlier this morning they put out a statement regarding that rumor saying that "the media reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD DVD business" but "Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this." They go on to say that "although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment." Toshiba also confirmed that Toshiba likes to refer to itself in third person.So, there you have it. Toshiba isn't throwing in the towel just yet or they simply aren't ready to announce that they will be throwing in the towel. Still no answers and all bad news for HD DVD ... humph.
Toshiba drops HD DVD; Blu-ray wins
by Ross Miller { Feb 16th 2008 at 1:15PM }
The rumors were true. Japanese news source NHK (english translation and Reuters validation) is reporting that Toshiba is planning to drop support of HD DVD, striking a final blow to the format and conceding victory to Blu-ray. The Sony-backed high-definition disc has been gaining strides for some time, most notably after Warner Bros switched to Blu-ray exclusively. Toshiba is expected to face hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.The so-called "format wars" seems to be at an end, and now we're left to ponder about the future, such as how big is the office party Sony is throwing in honor of its victory? More related to video games, might we see a future Blu-ray add-on (and subsequently rumors of a built-in drive) for the Xbox 360?
[Via Engadget; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
It's really over, folks - Toshiba drops HD DVD
by Andrew Yoon { Feb 16th 2008 at 12:05PM }
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.!]
Don't even trip, Financial Times -- Paramount is sticking with HD-DVD
by Griffin McElroy { Jan 13th 2008 at 12:45PM }
If you just bought an HD-DVD player attachment for your Xbox 360, don't feel completely discouraged about the recent movements in the home entertainment industry. While it definitely seems as though Blu-ray has soundly won the format war, Viacom Inc. owned Paramount Studios recently issued a statement saying they would continue producing HD-DVD movies.
The statement was a correction to a recent Financial Times article saying that the company was following in the footsteps of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and adopting Blu-ray as their sole HD format. Following a brief plunge in the stocks of Toshiba (the company most invested in HD-DVD technology), Paramount issued a statement pledging their allegiance to the format less blue. Looks like it's time to hunker down for the long haul, people -- it might be a while before the clear victor for the Battle of the Formats is decided.
Toshiba, further curious about the Cell, puts it in a laptop
by Nick Doerr { Jan 12th 2008 at 2:30PM }
Imagine footage from a mobile phone or camera getting processed heavily from their crappy resolution into 1080p -- this laptop can do it and from the demonstrations, it doesn't look that bad at all. It's not going to look like it's 1080p, but it won't be blocky and horrid to look at. YouTube lowered our standards, after all. We'd talk more about it, but there's a video of the demonstration available -- check it out and get ready to wish for another electronic device to utilize the Cell Processor.
The possibilities of a HDTV powered by Cell
by Nick Doerr { Jan 11th 2008 at 6:30PM }
How about this: instead of channel surfing one channel at a time, the Cell allows your television to display multiple channels simultaneously. It's like picture-in-picture, but 48 of them. Or 24, depending how you interpret our math. Clicking on one of these thumbnails brings up the video in the bottom half of the screen while the top half continues to stream the other channels; push whatever the button is again and it moves to full-screen. These small thumbnails are in standard definition -- if they were in HD, the TV would only be able to stream six of them at once. Other features haven't been decided on yet, but with that at the very outset you can bet this will be the ultimate TV set to own in the coming years. Color us impressed.
Xbox 360 still open to Blu-ray add-on should HD-DVD fail
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jan 9th 2008 at 10:00AM }
Microsoft's initial decision to keep HD-DVD separate from the Xbox 360 hardware has always been trotted out under the "consumer choice" banner, with cost reduction cited as an immediate benefit. Of course, it also makes bailing out a lot easier should white flags start to go up. It may seem strange to envision Microsoft supporting a format so entwined with a competing console, but the company's not likely to shed a tear for discs when there's money to be made in the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.
Update: A further comment from Microsoft emphasizes that despite Penello's comments, HD-DVD hasn't gone away just yet: "Microsoft currently has no plans at this time to consider Blu-ray as an option. We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best optical solution for consumers, since it's the only format today that delivers quality experiences at affordable prices."
Speculation: Microsoft may integrate HD DVD into Xbox 360
by Christopher Grant { Jan 1st 2008 at 2:30PM }
This Sunday will mark the end of an era: Bill Gates is going to deliver his final CES keynote in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, the rumor mill continues to churn, unwilling or unable to pause briefly and reflect on the legac ...... whoa, sorry about that. On to the rumor du jour: Seattle Times staff columnist Brier Dudley speculates that Microsoft "may be preparing to license the Xbox gaming platform to consumer-electronics companies." While you look up 3DO on Wikipedia (we'll help you out), we'll continue with the specifics of this speculation. Dudley envisions a Toshiba-built 'box bundling "a digital video recorder with a hard-drive, high-definition HD-DVD drive and Xbox gaming capabilities." Alternatively, Microsoft could forgo the licensing and bundle that HD DVD drive themselves "putting it on par with Sony's PlayStation 3 that has a built-in Blu-ray drive."
The rumors regarding an integrated HD DVD drive have been swirling about for some time (Toshiba says "no comment"), so Dudley could be basing his speculation on the old "where there's smoke, there's fire" adage. Guess we'll know soon enough.
