Microsoft follows suit - pulling HD DVD

Microsoft Corp. has also decided to discontinue its HD DVD operations.

That means the company will stop producing and selling external HD DVD drives for its game console, Xbox 360.

Microsoft is expected to continue to offer the existing users the standard warranty support for the drives.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (2)
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (1)

More than 100 million flat-screen TVs spread worldwide in 2008

The world demand for flat-screen TVs in 2008 will grow around 30% from the year-earlier level with more than 100 million units plugged-in, Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) said on February 21.

It predicts 180 million or more flat-screen TVs will pervade the globe in 2012.

Different retailers address HD DVD wane in different ways

EDION Corporation announced on February 21 that its affiliated home appliance volume retailers - DEODEO, EIDEN, MIDORI DENKA, Ishimaru Denki, and 100 Man Volt (3Q Group) - will exchange an HD DVD product bought from them for an equivalent Blu-ray one, if the buyer likes.

All of their about one thousand branch stores in Japan are expected to continue the deal until March 31.

The buyer who wants to have his/her HD DVD product exchanged for a Blu-ray one needs to take it with the receipt and the warranty card to the branch store where he/she bought it.

If the Blu-ray is more expensive than his/her HD DVD, the buyer will be required to pay the balance.


Other retailers deal with the defeat of HD DVD in the format war as follows:

Yodobashi Camera, Kojima, and BEST DENKI ceased selling HD DVD products on February 20.

YAMADA DENKI, K's Denki (K's HOLDINGS), and BIC CAMERA keep selling HD DVD products.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (2)
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (1)

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (2)

Toshiba Corp.'s withdrawal from its HD DVD business impacts not only the recorders/players for HDTV but also the drives for PC and game console.

The company will discontinue development, production, sale, and distribution of all its HD DVD-related products at the end of next month.

It also plans to provide the existing users with maintenance services including sale of HD DVD disc for eight years from termination of the production.

So far, its players for HDTV have sold about 700 thousand around the world (600 thousand in the U.S., 100 thousand in Europe, and 10 thousand in Japan), recorders sold 20 thousand in Japan, and external drives for Microsoft Xbox 360 sold 300 thousand.

As for PC equipped with Toshiba's HD DVD drive, about 300 thousand units have been sold all over the world (140 thousand in North America, 130 thousand in Europe, and 20 thousand in Japan).

Toshiba claims it will never enter the Blu-ray market.

The company, at the same time, announced it will re-focus on its competitive flash memory business.

After the announcement about its HD DVD and flash memory business, the company's stock price got a boost from making wise decisions.

Anyway, for consumers, Toshiba's decision would help eliminate confusion when they buy a next generation DVD-related product.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (1)
Toshiba with its back to the wall in HD disc contest
Warner Bros. gets exclusively on Blu-ray Disc

Dubbing 10 to start on June 2nd

The Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting (Dpa) announced at the panel under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) on February 19 that the “Dubbing 10” system will get in operation at 4am on June 2, 2008 in Japan.

In response to the announcement, manufactures of DVD recorder will enter final stage of adjusting and testing their products for supporting the system.

With the system fixed, as well as the disc format unified into Blu-ray, consumers would unhesitatingly buy the products when they hit store shelves.

Copy 10 - another headache-maker for HDTV recorder
Fujitsu's PC is ready for Dubbing 10 (Copy 10)

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD - Toshiba has thrown in the sponge (1)

Toshiba Corp. has conceded. Now it's all over but the cheering.

Toshiba officially announced Tuesday that it will withdraw from its HD DVD business.

The withdrawal was significantly dictated by Warner Bros.'s decision on the exclusive support for Blu-ray last month.

Warner Bros. gets exclusively on Blu-ray Disc
Toshiba with its back to the wall in HD disc contest

More than 30 million devices get on terrestrial digital TV wave

The number of the devices has exceeded 30 million that are receiving a terrestrial digital TV wave in Japan, NHK announced on February 7.

The devices include flat-panel screen TVs, CRT-based TVs, external tuners, and STBs for CATV.

It took about 4 years and 2 months to reach the number of 30 million.