Ben Reid
5 Sep 2006 13:00
Tech manufacturing giant Toshiba has confirmed that it will launch its first HD-DVD player in Europe on 15 November - just two days before Sony drops its Blu-ray featured Playstation 3.
The HD-E1, which will retail at around 599 euros (approx. £400), will be closely followed by a second Toshiba HD-DVD player to be released in December, the company said.
Toshiba and Sony are backing rival formats, but the competition between the two could seriously damage the market for next-gen DVD equipment, according to analysts.
While Toshiba showed off its new HD-DVD machines at IFA in Berlin, Hollywood studio Twentieth Century Fox gave its backing to Blu-ray by announcing plans to release films for that format only. "We have no plans to release on HD-DVD. Consumer-wise Blu-ray is the best proposition," said Mike Dunn, global president of home entertainment for the studio. And according to Reuters, Time Warner has also confirmed its plans to release films on Blu-ray.
However, Toshiba's digital consumer chief, Yoshihide Fujii, questions whether Hollywood films will require the greater storage capacity Blu-ray offers.
"The question is: who needs this," he told Reuters, referring to Blu-ray's capacity.
But he did concede that the major film studios could be the key factor in determining which format will be most popular.
Source:
BBC