Hollywood Reporter: Toshiba to Drop HD-DVD

[Woochifer]

Looks like the format war's end is looming.

Even though it's widely expected that HD-DVD won't last much longer, this is the first published report I've seen that explicitly puts a timeline on HD-DVD's demise. The Hollywood Reporter is citing "reliable industry sources" that Toshiba will pull the plug on HD-DVD "sometime in the coming weeks." Here's a choice quote from one of Toshiba's execs:

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."

Translated, that pretty much means that Toshiba's price cutting and other efforts to reverse the trends persisting in Blu-ray's favor have failed, and they're now plotting the exit strategy. Would make sense if Toshiba's moves have been aimed towards thinning out their inventory before killing the format, with some faint hope that lower prices would be enough to keep the format afloat.

The article has numerous other interesting bits of information, like Toshiba continuing to lose money on each HD-DVD player (potentially "several hundred dollars" per player). The Hollywood Reporter is a generally reliable source for industry news, but over the course of this format war even credible news sources have published information that turned out to be wrong, or at least premature (like Financial Times' article about Paramount flipping back to Blu-ray, which has yet to happen), so anything's still possible at this point, even if in practical terms this format war is already over.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...d0bfb0c25aa58d

[braxus]

I was waiting for some news on Paramount flipping back to Blu, but as you've said nothing has come of that yet. I have since decided to sell off the couple HD-DVDs I have bought and I'll wait till they come out on Blu Ray. Better to get rid of them now then when no one will want them.

[GMichael]

This is not the last nail in the coffin, but It's HD-DVD throwing itself onto it's sword. Step back folks. This may get messy.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

This is not the last nail in the coffin, but It's HD-DVD throwing itself onto it's sword. Step back folks. This may get messy.

Getting messy? I am wiping the blood off my face and washing my clothes as we speak.

In terms of Paramount going blu, it is happening as we speak. The BDA has opened two more voting seats on the board, and Paramount is working with duplicators to get some line space. It is going to happen. Universal is another story though. None of their masters are done well, and it is going to cost them dearly to remaster all the titles that need it. So aside from recent releases, it is going to take them a while to get their bluray act together. As far as that nail, get the hammer and start nailing that coffin, Toshiba is going to make their announcement any day now.

[L.J.]

Hmmm....Wonder if I should sell off my 12 titles and just keep the player in a different room for DVD's

[GMichael]

I'm going to keep mine. After all, they will still play long after they stop selling more.

[L.J.]

I'm going to keep mine. After all, they will still play long after they stop selling more.

Yeah I'm thinking about the shelf space though. I'd perfer to put something there that I'm gonna use a few times per week, not once per month. I can only watch HDDVD exclusives(Kong, Transformers, Batman) so many times, ya know.

It would actually be better if I invested more in HDDVD and had 40/50 titles to watch. 12 is just a screwed up amount to justify leaving the player there.

No need to sell the player though, just the movies.

[GMichael]

Yeah I'm thinking about the shelf space though. I'd perfer to put something there that I'm gonna use a few times per week, not once per month. I can only watch HDDVD exclusives(Kong, Transformers, Batman) so many times, ya know.

It would actually be better if I invested more in HDDVD and had 40/50 titles to watch. 12 is just a screwed up amount to justify leaving the player there.

No need to sell the player though, just the movies.

If you are going to use it to play std DVD's then why not use it to also play your HD-DVD's? Any HD-DVD's you sell (at reduced value) you'll have to replace with BR disks anyhow. They'll take up the same amount of room.

[kexodusc]

With Walmart pulling out of HD-DVD, the funeral date is pretty much the only thing remaining.
Now the question is - was the R&D cost, and loss-leading support of HD-DVD sales justified by the extended life of DVD (realistically by maybe 2 years?) I'm not sure the royalties are that lucrative. Maybe. Only Toshiba knows for sure.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Pix knows. And he'll be along later to tell everybody... "I told ya so".

[L.J.]

If you are going to use it to play std DVD's then why not use it to also play your HD-DVD's? Any HD-DVD's you sell (at reduced value) you'll have to replace with BR disks anyhow. They'll take up the same amount of room.

OK GM....if it'll make you happy, I'll keep the 12 friggin movies

[GMichael]

OK GM....if it'll make you happy, I'll keep the 12 friggin movies

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound pushy. I just wanted to understand.

[L.J.]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound pushy. I just wanted to understand.

I was actually refering to the A2 taking up a spot on my entertainment stand. Doesn't make any sense to leave it there to playback 12 movies. I figured the war would stretch on and I would end up with plenty of titles from both formats. It's fine for now though...well at least until I get a xbox or wii. It would get more use up front or in my bedroom as a DVD player, but I would never watch a HD DVD movie on it. Once those titles are replaced with BR, I'd have no use for them on HDDVD. I only watch movies on my main system

Now if I had a 92" screen & HT in my bedroom, like some people, it would be a different story

[GMichael]

I

Now if I had a 92" screen & HT in my bedroom, like some people, it would be a different story

My wife has discovered the joys of HT. She has completely taken over the bedroom system. The only way I'd get to use that system is if I want to join her to watch Judge Judy or American Idol. I'd rather take a bullet in my hard drive.

[L.J.]

My wife has discovered the joys of HT. She has completely taken over the bedroom system. The only way I'd get to use that system is if I want to join her to watch Judge Judy or American Idol. I'd rather take a bullet in my hard drive.

92" screen in your bedroom and you guys are watching Judge Judy!!!!


Sad...very sad

[pixelthis]

Pix knows. And he'll be along later to tell everybody... "I told ya so".

I have always "known", like I said I have seen this dozens of times.
And its not a question of tosh pulling the plug, they have been planning this for awhile now.
Just a question of getting out with the maximum number of fingers and toes.
I wouold like to say that if the industry has learned anything from this expensive
debacle then it might be worth it, but they haven't, they never do.
Blu was the better system from the start and had wide industry support before this little "war" even got started.
Now if they wanted to flush several hundred mill down the toilet fine, its their business.
Just wish they could have slipped me a couple of mill, what diff would it have made?
As for the format wars in general I have one thing to say...
NEXT

[GMichael]

92" screen in your bedroom and you guys are watching Judge Judy!!!!


Sad...very sad

Tell me about it.
sniff sniff.

So now we have two projectors running at the same time each night.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Oh sh!t! Everybody be quiet. Looks like pix got the night off.

[GMichael]

I have always "known", like I said I have seen this dozens of times.
And its not a question of tosh pulling the plug, they have been planning this for awhile now.
Just a question of getting out with the maximum number of fingers and toes.
I wouold like to say that if the industry has learned anything from this expensive
debacle then it might be worth it, but they haven't, they never do.
Blu was the better system from the start and had wide industry support before this little "war" even got started.
Now if they wanted to flush several hundred mill down the toilet fine, its their business.
Just wish they could have slipped me a couple of mill, what diff would it have made?
As for the format wars in general I have one thing to say...
NEXT

What are you doing posting during the day? Won't you get a sunburn?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

This fool is the biggest bull$hit artist on this site.

I have always "known", like I said I have seen this dozens of times.
And its not a question of tosh pulling the plug, they have been planning this for awhile now.

I guess you knew more the Ken Graffeo and Sally Jodi? You are full of it. They have not been planning this a while. They had no idea that Warner was going to make the announcement they did. If they did, do you really think the DVD forum would have approved the next to final version of the TL-51 disc white paper? Why pay Universal an additional $75 million to support the product until the fall? At the last DVD forum meeting, both Graffeo and Jodi were giddy as school girls at the passing of TL-51, if they had been planning an exit, why all the joy? Did you really think they knew about Walmart? I do not think so, because I know for a fact the decision was a last minute decision, and the BDA didn't know about it until about 24 hours before the announcement. If they knew this for a long time, why did Ventura release a player at the end of last year? Seems to me they could have quit production immediately and would not have to fire sale their players like Toshiba is doing. That could not have been good for their bottom line. This is hogwash, bullocks, bull, they have not been planning this a while. This is just a plain old lie from somebody who is a nobody trying to be somebody.

Just a question of getting out with the maximum number of fingers and toes.
I wouold like to say that if the industry has learned anything from this expensive
debacle then it might be worth it, but they haven't, they never do.

The lesson was out there for Toshiba to learn. Sony and Betamax should have taught them something. However, I would not be so quick to blame toshiba for all of this. Microsoft played a huge role in getting Toshiba to market HD DVD. Microsoft was the one that encouraged Toshiba to release HD DVD when Toshiba was about to throw in the towel before HD DVD official release. Toshiba saw the handwriting on the wall when members of the BDA who were also members of the DVD forum where constantly obstaining from voting on HD DVD. However it was Microsoft that encourage them to stay in it, and promised them they would support them to the end. When Toshiba went to negotiate with Warner, Microsoft was no were to be found.

I think before you make these off the cuff statements, you need to do ALOT more homework. The music business is not the movie business. Player manufacturers do not make software. Studios do not make players(not even Sony Home Entertainment). You have a penchant for doing alot of mixing and mashing so your pea brain can process the complexity. It may be good for your convience, but it is not accurate or truthful.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

What are you doing posting during the day? Won't you get a sunburn?

You ever heard of the freaks come out at night. Posting is his day job. He is freakin at night!

[Rich-n-Texas]

Somebody's fired up tonite!!! Sir T

[diggity]

is is all very, very interesting indeed. but as the saying goes,"it's not all over till the fat lady sings", and i dont know about anyone else but i don't see one just yet. the amount of money being thrown at hd-dvd by microsoft to keep this "battle" going and universal persistance wont end overnight (though i wish it would). and besides at the moment its all conjecture at the moment by "reliable sources" who remain unnamed.

cheers: dazza

[diggity]

oops just read L.J's thread about wal-mart. but the fat lady hasn't sung yet, she's just warming up her vocal chords. i still think there will be one more interesting developement in this story before she sings.

cheers: dazza

ps: for sale one hd format. one careful owner. all research done, may need marketing makeover. only one competing format (which we think isn't as good). buy now and also receive two contracts from high profile studios absolutely free. needs to be sold fast as owner is moving away. interesting offers considered. please make all genuine enquiries via e-mail.

(oh please god, someone make an offer)

[Woochifer]

is is all very, very interesting indeed. but as the saying goes,"it's not all over till the fat lady sings", and i dont know about anyone else but i don't see one just yet. the amount of money being thrown at hd-dvd by microsoft to keep this "battle" going and universal persistance wont end overnight (though i wish it would). and besides at the moment its all conjecture at the moment by "reliable sources" who remain unnamed.

You might regard it as conjecture. But, if Toshiba's continuing to lose money on each unit sold and continuing to bleed market share every week despite steep price reductions, logic would dictate that at some point they'll come to their senses and quit throwing money into that sink hole. And even if Toshiba persists in pushing a losing format, retailers won't, as evidenced by the announcements just this week from Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart.

oops just read L.J's thread about wal-mart. but the fat lady hasn't sung yet, she's just warming up her vocal chords. i still think there will be one more interesting developement in this story before she sings.

cheers: dazza

ps: for sale one hd format. one careful owner. all research done, may need marketing makeover. only one competing format (which we think isn't as good). buy now and also receive two contracts from high profile studios absolutely free. needs to be sold fast as owner is moving away. interesting offers considered. please make all genuine enquiries via e-mail.

(oh please god, someone make an offer)

I don't think there are any more interesting developments in the offing, unless you're taking about Toshiba going Blu-ray. Even if Toshiba continues to trudge along, and even if Blockbuster, Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart hadn't dialed back their support for HD-DVD, the format got put onto the fast track to oblivion when Warner announced that they would drop HD-DVD. It basically eliminated HD-DVD's strongest studio partner, and signaled to retailers that the end was near.

As I've stated before, HD-DVD's market share has now slipped below 25% in North America, and that's with Warner still releasing HD-DVD titles. Retailers know that the writing's on the wall for HD-DVD, and won't wait for any announcements from Toshiba, Microsoft, Universal, and Paramount before taking matters into their own hands. Retail shelf space is too valuable to be occupied by a soon-to-be orphaned format for very long.