“The format war has turned into a format death watch,” Thomas K. Arnold and Erik Gruenwedel report for The Hollywood Reporter. “Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video’s announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.”
“Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products,” Arnold and Gruenwedel report. “But she hinted that something’s in the air. ‘Given the market developments in the past month,’ she said, ‘Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players.'”
Arnold and Gruenwedel report, “Immediately after the Warner announcement, the HD DVD North American Promotional Group canceled its Consumer Electronics Show presentation. The following week, data collected by the NPD Group revealed Blu-ray took in 93% of all hardware sales for that week.”
“Microsoft is the other big player in the HD DVD equation. Last fall when Paramount Home Entertainment announced it was dropping its dual-format strategy and would release titles only in HD DVD, giving that side a brief resurgence, a pitch to journalists for interviews came from a Microsoft email address,” Arnold and Gruenwedel report. “Several phone calls to Kevin Collins, Microsoft’s normally accessible ‘HD DVD evangelist,’ were not returned.”
Full article here.
Our Take from September 02, 2005: “HD-DVD must die.” From September 27, 2005: “Imagine, Apple… on the side of the better technology while Microsoft chooses to go with the cheap, second-rate ‘solution.’ How typical is that?”
Again, word is that you can get XBox HD DVD players really, really cheap nowadays. 
We are amazed at recent developments in the the general public’s newfound ability to choose superior technology regardless of perceived price. Along with Blu-ray’s triumph (however short-lived it may be; get an Apple TV, that’s the real future), look at iPod+iTunes, iPhone, and the Macintosh resurgence as other examples of Joe and Jane Sixpack rapidly becoming more tech-literate with each passing day.
This ain’t VHS vs. Beta, folks. Now, in what can only be described as a pleasant surprise, the best formats and technologies are winning!
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“We are amazed at recent developments in the the general public’s newfound ability to choose superior technology regardless of perceived price”
Totally and completely wrong. They’re choosing the superior technology because the death of HD DVD is no longer a rumble amongst the tech geeks, it’s on prime time news and CNN, and everyone is informed. Average Joe doesn’t give a crap about the better technology or format wars behind it, they just want the movies they like. At least now true Geeks and non-Geeks alike aren’t going to choose a “sure death” format no matter the cost; though I’m sure the pond scum pricing of the dying HD DVD products right now will still drag down a few oblivious consumers with them.
awesome!
i hope i can pick up a player for 10 bucks and the matrix for 0.99 in hd-dvd now. i would be set until the next format wars.
peace out
“It’s dead, Jim.”
I’m suing…before anyone else so I get all that money from the class action settlement. Just wait…my name will be plastered all over those litigation papers. Plantiff…Register or Login. Damn I’m gonna be loaded.
Shouldn’t this article be above the next one talking about Wal Mart dropping HD-DVD?
@Ampar…
not me buddy, but seriously funny none the less.
You gotta admit that HD-DVD sounded better than Blu-Ray. It would also be easier for the average person to understand the transition to HD with HD-DVD.
BS, HD DVD sucked
The video quality was no where near as high as blu-ray, I agree, finally a better technology wins
“We are amazed at recent developments in the general public’s newfound ability to choose superior technology regardless of perceived price. “
This is simply NOT TRUE. The only reason Blu ray is the “winner” is because movie studios have jumped on board exclusively…..If I can only buy HD movies on the “fictitious holographic storage cube” then the Holographic storage cube format would “win” This has nothing to do with consumer choice, or decisions.
90% of people who go into Best buy to buy an HD optical disc player ever think about the disk capacity, DRM features, expanded technology functions etc….They just want to know where they can get their HD movies.
Don’t make this out to be more then it is. If the movie studios equally put out movies on both optical formats this “war” would be far from over.
Personally I have stayed out of this battle and will stick to HD content via the internet/VOD/iTunes.
To Jim – TIV:
@ Ampar
You forgot that Fred Thompson sent Jack Ryan to steal that sub from the Russians because it sounded like a volcano.
Or something.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
DIE HD DVD
C1: I thought Fred Thompson let Bruce Willis storm the Toshiba executive jet to arrest a Russian terrorist?
@ Cubert
“It would also be easier for the average person to understand the transition to HD with HD-DVD.”
???
I don’t get it. If I have to buy Fight Club again, then I have to buy Fight Club again. How is one format any ‘easier’, other than including ‘DVD’ in its name? We’ve had several format changes in our lives. Baby boomers have gone from vinyl records all the way to digital downloads, are there people who still don’t grasp the process?
This victory can largely be attributed to the PS3. I haven’t been that fond of Sony since the mid-90’s, but now I have to say, “thanks.”
@ Ampar
I thought that was Alan Rickman… and alas, your Mr. Okamura did not see it that way… so he won’t be joining us for the rest of his life.
“Baby boomers have gone from vinyl records all the way to digital downloads . . .”
And yet, I’m sure there are a few stubborn codgers who still refuse to give up their wax cylinders and kerosene lamps, dagnabbit.
” . . . so he won’t be joining us for the rest of his life.”
Too much sugar, enriched flour, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate 60 and yellow dye number 5.
@ Ampar
“And yet, I’m sure there are a few stubborn codgers who still refuse to give up their wax cylinders and kerosene lamps, dagnabbit.”
Ah, I see you’ve met my father.
RIP!
Ah yes, and he’s a wily coot. I will never get my Frisbee back.
@ anaknipedro
yeah 2 syllables is a whole lot easier on the tongue than 5. and it just rolls off the tongue so nicely…. bluuu-ray.
The important issue of the large file backups that can be handled by BluRay is an especially important one to me. Because of the possibility of losing such large backups, more than one disk combined with alternate methods of backup would be needed, but BR disks are an important part of a redundant backup plan. And I agree with NewtonsApple’s comments, too.
Steve, can we please have Blu-Ray drives in the upcoming MacBook Pro’s now. At least as a BTO option. Thanks in advance.
Mac | Life