Toshiba Gives Up On HD DVD, Ends High-Def Format War

David Octavius · 02-19-2008, 03:07 PM

Toshiba Gives Up On HD DVD, Ends High-Def Format War -- Toshiba -- InformationWeek

Toshiba on Tuesday surrendered in the high-definition format war against Sony-backed Blu-ray, saying it would no longer make or market HD DVD players and recorders.

The announcement came four days after Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, said it would stop selling HD DVD movies and players by June. But the turning point in the format battle came last month when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, which accounts for 20% of DVD sales in the U.S., said it would ship all of its high-definition titles in Blu-ray by year's end. Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: ) and online movie renter Netflix followed suit this month.

Toshiba said that it would continue to provide full product support and aft

I hope no one bought HD-DVD players

motivez · 02-19-2008, 03:32 PM

Good for consumers that it's ended

Maybe it's just me, but HD-DVD is by far the superior name. I don't want to go around saying "Blu-Ray"

I don't really even know the technical differences between them, I figured I'd just wait until there was a winner before I started caring.. Anyone wanna bring me up to date on it?

WickedLou9 · 02-19-2008, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Good for consumers that it's ended

Maybe it's just me, but HD-DVD is by far the superior name. I don't want to go around saying "Blu-Ray"

I don't really even know the technical differences between them, I figured I'd just wait until there was a winner before I started caring.. Anyone wanna bring me up to date on it?

They are just different formats. As far as I know they are no different in terms of the end result, what you see on your TV is the same.

7960 · 02-19-2008, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Good for consumers that it's ended

Maybe it's just me, but HD-DVD is by far the superior name. I don't want to go around saying "Blu-Ray"

nah, blu-ray sounds "cooler" than HDDVD.

another technology killed by a shitty name.

but, now you can pick up an HD/DVD player and movies for WAY cheap!!

7960 · 02-19-2008, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

They are just different formats. As far as I know they are no different in terms of the end result, what you see on your TV is the same.

Blu-ray vs HD DVD: State of the Division - Engadget

good explanation

motivez · 02-19-2008, 05:22 PM

Interesting, it looks like the best format won. Prices should start coming down pretty soon I'd think

Thanks for the link

thomez · 02-19-2008, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Interesting, it looks like the best format won. Prices should start coming down pretty soon I'd think

Thanks for the link

why would the end of competition between them result in lower prices?

WickedLou9 · 02-20-2008, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by thomez

why would the end of competition between them result in lower prices?

Well hopefully it will become a standard like CD's and DVD's. INdustry doesn't like uncertainty so they may have been reticent to commit and tool up for one technology or the other. Now that they have some assurances that Blu-Ray WILL be the standard format they can make plans for the future.

I'm not really concerned about format competition either. With the 2 competing formats, once you choose you are limited in your options. Do I want a video player? Once I pick One format or the other I have limited choices. Maybe I like Pioneer,but pioneer only supports Blu-Ray. So I can't buy that one... now with one standard format, I will have a much wider array of choices. Now that media producers don't have to either produce two physically different media, or only produce one or the other, they can devote all production to Blu-Ray. This means cheaper media. Cheaper media, cheaper hardware, greater selection in movies, it's better all around.

motivez · 02-20-2008, 11:53 AM

Yeah, what Lou said.

thomez · 02-20-2008, 12:08 PM

I don't think the evidence supports such claims - which is why when in tight competition both were selling players at a loss

now Blu Ray will be able to be profitable which will likely mean steadying prices of players and media IMO

CD as a standard format has never lowered prices and we all know the cost of a cd is in the couple cents range - yet to buy one is roughly the same as it was 10 or 15 years ago - however the players are finally cheap, though I'm not sure if the cd was ever as protected as BluRay

motivez · 02-20-2008, 12:38 PM

As it becomes an industry standard and every company that was supporting HD-DVD begins to produce the hardware to play the discs, there will be many more varieties of players out there, there just simply aren't that many right now.

More choice for consumers = increased competition = lower prices

The competition between the formats themselves is over, but the competition between companies wanting to sell you Blu-Ray DVD players is going to increase now that it's the declared winner.

I think the prices of the units will be the first to drop as more of them enter the marketplace, not sure about the actual Blu-Ray DVD's themselves.. as the process to make the discs is always going to be relatively expensive because of the coating required to protect the data (thxinfo in 7960's link!)

Stylerod · 02-21-2008, 11:06 AM

I thought Blue-Ray wasn't backward compatible with normal DVD's. Was that just BS I heard?

Publius · 02-21-2008, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I thought Blue-Ray wasn't backward compatible with normal DVD's. Was that just BS I heard?

It isn't, from what little I've read it appears the laser reader's configuration is too specialized to do both.

Scrum · 02-21-2008, 11:47 AM

My PS3 plays Blu-Rays and DVDs.

Publius · 02-21-2008, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Scrum

My PS3 plays Blu-Rays and DVDs.

two different lasers, maybe?

from the page 7960 posted earlier in the thread:

So here's the technical nitty gritty before we drop the graphs n' charts on you. Both Blu-ray and HD DVD use the same kind of 405nm wavelength blue-violet laser, but their optics differ in two ways. Since the Blu-ray disc has a tighter track pitch (the single thread of data that spirals from the inside of the disc all the way out -- think: grooves on a 12-inch vinyl single vs. an Elvis Costello full-length album with 40 songs), it can hold more pits -- information -- on the same size disc as HD DVD even with a laser of the same wavelength.

The differing track pitch of the Blu-ray disc makes its pickup apertures differ, however -- 0.65 for HD DVD vs. 0.85 for Blu-ray -- thus also making the two pickups technically incompatible despite using the same type of lasers. HD DVD discs also have a different surface layer (the clear plastic layer on the surface of the data -- the part that collects all your fingerprints and scratches) from Blu-ray discs. HD DVD use a 0.6 mm-thick surface layer, the same as DVD, while Blu-ray has a much smaller 0.1mm layer, which enables the laser to focus at that 0.85 aperture.

motivez · 02-25-2008, 08:45 PM

I feel bad for all the folks who bought in early.. Especially those who got the $130 addition to the xbox360.. going to be kinda useless now

kombayn · 04-04-2008, 03:19 AM

^That's me! The best part is HD-DVD's are really cheap now, so I can get a ton of movies on the cheap. Our new roommate has a PS3, so we have the best of both worlds. No big loss for me. It's nice to watch on a 42-inch plasma. In my room, I don't care, I have a DVD player and that's all that matters to me on my 27-inch.