Andre Yoskowitz
16 Feb 2008 14:25
First reported by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK and later confirmed by Toshiba itself, the next-gen format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray is finally over, with Toshiba planning on stopping production of HD DVD players.
The battle, which has raged on for the last couple of years, has often been compared to the Betamax-VHS battle of the MID 1980's and has slowed down the development of what movie studios hope will become a multi-billion dollar industry over the next decade.
The final blow to HD DVD and Toshiba took place yesterday when the mammoth retailer Wal-Mart announced they would go Blu-ray exclusive beginning in June. Other recent news, such as Best Buy and Netflix's decisions to support Blu-ray must have also weighed heavily on Toshiba's decision.
"We have entered the final stage of planning to make our exit from the next generation DVD business," said a Toshiba source, who also added that an official announcement could come as early as next week.
We will keep you updated on any word from Microsoft, Paramount, or Universal as to this latest word from Toshiba but for now it seems that all that can be said is R.I.P HD DVD.