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Toshiba officially launches HD-DVD in Europe

Written by Dave Horvath @ 19 Dec 2006 5:58 User comments (5)

Toshiba officially launches HD-DVD in Europe Electronics firm Toshiba announced today that it has launched its HD-E1 High Definition DVD system to European audiences in hopes to sway them against rivals supporting the Blu-Ray format.
Toshiba forcasts some 500,000 HD-DVD sales worldwide by the time March 2007 rolls around with its most recent launch. This, in part is a strategy to gain the market share against companies struggling with Blu-Ray production. Companies such as Sony, Panasonic and Samsung in cooperation with quite a few movie studios have been chomping at the bit to get their own product on store shelves, but blue laser production has been slow due to defective parts in the assembly line.

The HD-E1 plans to retail for a scant £450. Scant in comparison to their rival's product which weighs in at almost double that amount. A more feature intensive system is set to launch later in January 2007 to the tune of £649.

Source:
BBC

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5 user comments

119.12.2006 06:18
hughjars
Inactive

The same (and so far in several cases better) picture quality and sound quality but for far less money that Blu-ray.

.....and the XBox 360 add-on will work with a PC to give you a HD-DVD ROM drive for £130.

Top quality and a price that is realistic.

Works for me.

.....and Blu-ray having Fox or Disney as 'exclusive' content providers just isn't such a big deal for me.
HD-DVD has plenty of studio support.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 19 Dec 2006 @ 6:20

219.12.2006 07:28
DamonDash
Inactive

Seven of the eight major movie studios also back Blu-ray, including Lion's Gate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Brothers. Of those studios, only Paramount and Warner are actively supporting both Blu-ray Disc and competitor HD DVD. (Also in HD DVD's camp: Universal Studios, the lone major not part of the Blu-ray camp.) LOL i wouldn't count on that...Sony is locking down the market as we speak.Also has a deal with the Porn movie biz.

319.12.2006 08:02
hughjars
Inactive

Quote:
Sony is locking down the market as we speak.
- This is simply false.

The movement here is towards neutrality not greater exclusivity in favour of one or the other.

HD-DVD currently has Universal (yeah, only Universal ;) ) , Paramount, Pathe, Warner, Studio Canal, 2Entertain/BBC, DVD International, Weinstein, EIV, Genius, Image Entertainment, New Line (TBC).

You'll also find that some films which appear to be Blu-ray exclusive are only exclusives in the USA and are available on HD-DVD in Europe and vis versa
(and the same applies in regard of other territories)

Quote:
Also has a deal with the Porn movie biz.
- .....and being the canny business people they are you'll also find porno released on HD-DVD discs too.

A count was done over on AVS.forums and the results were something akin to 48,000 movies for BD and 40,000 for HD DVD.

The idea that Blu-ray has it all sewn up is laughable.

Like I said it's basically Fox and Disney.
Big deal.
(and if Disney and Fox movies really are so vital to you it's not like you can't go either SD DVD - and in the case of Fox easily find them on HD on, erm, 'other sources', right?)

The fact is that Blu-ray has failed to knock HD-DVD out of the market.
Both will probably be co-existing for some time
(unless the expected cheap Chinese HD-DVD players make Blu-ray's bloated sky-high price point totally unsustainable and wipe it from the mass-market - with only the Sony PS3 remaining for face-saving reasons and mainly for games)
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 19 Dec 2006 @ 9:03

419.12.2006 22:21

Personally I'd rather have Studio Canal then any single BD exclusive studio, whether it be Sony, Fox, Disney or LG. They've actually put in the resource to remaster the films that needed it, Total Recall for instance, specifically for HD-DVD release, where as LG put out a pretty crappy looking disk. Even though it's still relatively early in the game, the best studio's wrt putting out quality HD optical disks are unarguably: 1. Warner 2A. Unversal 2B. Studio Canal After that it gets much murkier, with no BD exclusive studio really distinguishing themselves all that much. And for the record it looks like HD-DVD has pretty much gotten the porn market sown up, with no BD porn title announced with a release date, and the first HD-DVD title ready for release in January. And according to industry insider jlaures in this thread, if no BD titles are shown in the AVN Adult Expo in January, the format war might be over, as far as the porn industry is concerned: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=771278

530.12.2006 15:54
hughjars
Inactive

Here's a list of the HD-DVD supporting movie studios

Warner
- Universal
- Paramount
- New Line/HBO
- Weinstein
- Magnolia
- Brentwood Home Video
- BCI
- DVD International
- Eagle Rock Entertainment
- Concert Hot Spot
- Image Entertainment
- Interscope
- Entertainment In Video
- Goldhil Home Media
- HDNet
- Razor Digital Entertainment
- Rhino Entertainment
- Discovery Channel
- Tartan Video
- MTI Home Video
- Studio Canal
- 2Entertain/BBC
- Pathe
- Momentum Pictures
- Manga Films
...13 of them exclusively


- So much for the Blu-ray propaganda.

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