I was on the elevator heading to work and I saw a quick news splash on the “elevator news update” that Toshiba has pulled out of the HD DVD business. This is no shock considering all of the studios, retail outlets and online rental companies that suddenly decided to join Blu-ray.
“This was a very difficult decision to make … but when we thought about the trouble we would cause to consumers and our partners, we decided it was not right for us to keep going with such a small presence,” Toshiba Chief Executive Atsutoshi Nishida told a news conference.
It’s no surprise how I felt about a Blu-ray win after my article Format Wars was posted in Truth Serum. However, I hope that this leads to cheaper Blu-ray players outside of the PS3. And I’m also curious to see if Microsoft sticks to its statements of supporting the winning format no matter which was victorious. Could a Blu-ray add-on be in the near future for Xbox 360 owners?
February 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I honestly thought for a while that no one format would win, and we’d just see everyone buying a hybrid HD-DVD / blu-ray player. I see Sony as having won primarily because they sacrificed some things in the PS3 so they could increase their install base - a move that worked out pretty well for them. I’m still waiting for the lower movie prices before I shell out for a new player, so like most people I know, DVD-9 is still the format of choice.
I wouldn’t say no to an afforadable blu-ray add on for my xbox, though!
February 20th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I have standalone players for both. I look forward to HD-DVD movies being on clearance.