Blu-ray has won the format war over HD-DVD, according to the BBC.
In today’s news broadcast the BBC reporter says: “It looks as if Toshiba has lost this format war. It’s rapidly losing the support of retailers and movie studios, and the end appears nigh.”
Thanks to Andronix at www.PlayThree.net for the video.
is that a cloud of smug i see over the TS offices?
-haha-
nice to hear it though. just think how much those Toshiba HD-DVD players are going to be now, they’d make a great player for normal DVD discs.
Comment by mobiletone — Feb 18, 2008 @ 5:59 pm
HD-DVD should just be scrapped altogether, there is no point having more than one choice, and Blu Ray is obviously the more superior format
Comment by sam_w — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
@ mobiletone - haha- it is kind of looking good…
Comment by Three Speech — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
Wow! That Tim Fairs guy at the end of the report was a bit of an idiot. “Too early to call”? Please! When Blu-Ray is outselling HD-DVD 9 to 1 and HD-DVD has only two studios backing it, I think it is quite clear who the winner is.
Comment by Mace — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
I know proclaim that SONY/BDA should NOT sell the BD rights to M$, this will reduce some movie sales… so what let them get a standalone player or a PS3…… BUT by not letting them have access to BD then they will effectively kill off the 360 and the 720 should it happen,
Why.. well because you cant continue with DVD9 for games.. look at Lost Odessy its on 5 DVDs.. YES 5 DVD’s.. my god that cannot continue.. So no BD for M$ = kill the console off now and the future versions.
SONY you saw the future now reduce the prices and flood the world BLU.
Fanboy, hell yeah
Comment by komp — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
I forgot to add to the xbots coming to troll…. yes go on say downloads are the future or or or say we enjoy lots of disks or finally just say “well the PS3 game needs 5gb installs”. yep your right but we can go out and upgrade our drives at shop prices.. you sir are stuck with what M$ offers you.
Go back to GHALO… or continue to troll..
Comment by komp — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Blue sky Blue sea Blu Ray = Happy Sony and all PS3 owners!
Comment by linton — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:11 pm
typical sales guy in currys! selling hd-dvd players to undecided consumers! the guy should be shot
Comment by Paul — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
wow.. komp.
You make all PS3 owners look bad with non intelligent post like that.
fyi.. Sony doesn’t OWN Blu ray.
They developed it, but then handed the rights over to BDA (Blu-Ray Disc Association.
An association with more than 20 companies behind it.
Therefore Sony have no say on who decides to implement a BD player in what system.
Secondly your troll comment against Xbox 360 owners sounded awfully like one itself…
And no.. I don’t own or plan to own a 360. I’m very fond of my PS3.
Comment by rd2000 — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
This report has at least 3 of my bugbears about this whole format war:
1) Comparing it to betamax vs VHS - At that time people HAD to make a decision if they wanted home movies and recording, people can stick with DVD for at least a few years so it’s a much smaller and more knowledgable minority who are upgrading at the moment
2) It’s not a DVD format war - Blu-Ray is NOT DVD, it’s blu-ray and they are blu-ray disks. It’s like calling MP3 vs mini-disk a CD format war
3) Why the flip are people buying stand alone blu-ray players for the region of £1200?!! Get a PS3, even if you never play a game, you have a constantly updated blu-ray player and it’s not exactly ugly
Comment by TheShirts — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
Hahaha!
Tim Fairs, The Tech Guys, Currys - you’re a dim-bo!
Comment by Shin-Ra — Feb 18, 2008 @ 6:55 pm
Its OVER…. Note time of post
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/18/toshiba-expected-to-announce-death-of-hd-dvd-tomorrow-stop-sale/
or here http://tinyurl.com/2buax6 if you cant read above…
thank god for that
Comment by komp — Feb 18, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
Uh, komp, I just bought a 360 because i was SICK of waiting for decent games on PS3. I was thinking of holding out for conflict denied ops (also on 360) but that turned out (according to all on the web) to be guff. (There is a demo on LIVE and it is guff).
Where the hell is Wipeout HD? In all honesty the only reason i didn’t trade in my ps3 was to wait and see if Wipeout HD is as good as I hope it will be.
Currently I’m having a blast on Ace combat 6, mass effect, moto gp and am looking forward to grand theft auto. Thinking about buying command and conquer. I know CandC is good because i downloaded a DEMO, one of LOADS on XBOX LIVE.
I don’t think bluray is a weapon in the console wars.
Admittedly i only have casino royale on blu ray but on my 32″ samsung, Starwars III looks much better and it’s a DVD.
Comment by cenTripEtAl — Feb 18, 2008 @ 7:31 pm
Go GO BLU-RAY!!!!!
Comment by E-ROLE — Feb 18, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
There’s your trolling xbot mate, right on time
Comment by TheShirts — Feb 18, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
Wonder what that check amount would be from M$ft to Sony for the rights to use Blu, for movies only. And what it owuld be for them to allow games on Blu, hehe.
Comment by Josh — Feb 18, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
It’s not over yet, but it is damn close. But be careful it’s GDC week, and Microsoft may announce an Xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive into and that would keep the format war, well and truly alive. It would be silly to, but desperate times may require desperate measures.
Personally I think that after the Toshiba board meeting tomorrow, I think we’ll get the official word from them that they are pulling out of the race.
Comment by Savage — Feb 18, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
I was seventh in the queue for a PS3 on launch night and only got an xbox two weeks ago. I consider myself a balanced individual!
I recon MS will just say meh to blu ray and bring out a new xbox in a few years, probably right around the time the PS3 bossoms. And it will blossom!
Comment by cenTripEtAl — Feb 18, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
@komp:
Lost Odyssey is on 4 DVDs, get your facts right. I don’t remember anyone complaining when Final Fantasy VII came on 3 discs, or when VIII or IX came on 4 discs. So when it’s done on a Sony console it’s fine, but when the competition does it it “can not carry on like this”?
Pathetic.
Comment by Capn Trips — Feb 18, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
In all news reports I’ve seen about this particular format war, it’s rarely mentioned that Blu-Ray’s market superiority isn’t simply a boost to the PS3’s success, but actually BECAUSE of it. The fact is, there isn’t an HD-DVD equivalent of the PS3.
Comment by rooee — Feb 18, 2008 @ 10:10 pm
“The company seems to have learned from the last format war…”
No it hasn’t! Sony is still stubborn as ever and pushing its format down people’s throats, with trojan horses such as the PS3.
It did the same thing when DVD came out, back then with the PS2.
Comment by Zed Zee — Feb 18, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
Sony would be stupid if they didn’t license Blu-Ray to Microsoft. 1) they would make money from every xbox sold, it’s called hedging your bets 2) If microsoft have no problem throwing $5bn down the drain for xbox, they won’t have a problem in creating their own format, optical or download, if they are forced into it.
Comment by John — Feb 19, 2008 @ 12:17 am
Sony should trade the Blu-Ray rights for the right to make X Box games on PS3 like Halo, Gears Of War and Mass Effect and all that as well as a fat load of cash which they could use to subsidise our overpriced UK downloads down to a decent price, say 99p per game or add on. That would make me stop going on all the bloody time.
Comment by Ton Capone — Feb 19, 2008 @ 1:31 am
Wow you guys are dense…
S O N Y D O E S N T O W N B L U R A Y!
They just developed it and are a just one of many companies in the Blu Ray Disc Association.
Sony developed parts of what we call DVD too you know..
Comment by rd2000 — Feb 19, 2008 @ 2:04 am
@ Ton Capone
Not a bad idea, that… Such a crowd-pleasing arrangement could be a little idealistic though
Comment by rooee — Feb 19, 2008 @ 7:02 am
Part of the official press release from Toshiba :
“TOKYO–Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.”
Comment by Lee Richards — Feb 19, 2008 @ 8:24 am
Blu_Ray is not owned by Sony its a group of companies so i’m sure that somewhere along the line Microsoft will put blu-Ray into their machines. Digital downloads may take off when we get faster internet speeds but people still like to own physical copies of things they buy.
Its not really been a war anyhow. As people point out DVD is far from dead and secondly HD-DVD never had a platofrm like the PS3.
Comment by Terry — Feb 19, 2008 @ 8:40 am
it’s not over until Transformers Blu ray is in my PS3 and I’ve got Chilli Heatwave Doritos all up in my grill
Comment by Mr Jimmy — Feb 19, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Well hopefully we can get past all of this HD format war crap and get on with the actual games on the next generation of consoles!! I was so fed up of reading about everyone using Blu Ray as some sort of chalice in the whole next gen war, now we can all get down to looking at the games and how good they are.
And to the people who think Sony shouldnt license Blu Ray to Microsoft… its not their choice to make, its the BDA’s.
Comment by Arthur The Magnificiant Squirrel — Feb 19, 2008 @ 10:08 am
It’s officially over :
http://kotaku.com/357959/hd-dvd-is-dead-please-move-on-with-your-life
Back to you attics citizens!
Comment by Savage — Feb 19, 2008 @ 10:21 am
YEAHHHHHHH…. DEATH TO MICROSOFT… GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Comment by DFTPUNX — Feb 19, 2008 @ 10:38 am
And all thanks to Sony’s trojan horse for Blu-Ray:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7252506.stm
Comment by Zed Zee — Feb 19, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
Excellent, not for all this fanboy stuff, but because there are films on HDDVD that I want on BluRay. Wonder how long it’s going to be for the remaining studios to gear up, and start churning out their catalogue on the “winning” format?
Comment by LordOfRuin — Feb 19, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
Tesco still have towers of £199 HD-DVD players, obviously no suckers going to be buying them now. However, what happens when they get knocked down to £50 - supermarket consumer will be tempted.
Maybe the cheap cheap HD-DVD players of the future could still cause a resurgence in time for Easter. A second coming…
Do you remember the first time the gamecube died?
Comment by lxd — Feb 19, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
@ lxd:
Doubt it. But they will make excellent DVD players (upscaling features and all that) and I don’t know if they have HDDs but that would also make them very nice to buy as a PVR, at a cheap rate.
I don’t have a television at my place but I’d definitely snap one up for other ‘applications’ if they ever drop that low.
There’s a possibility that due to Tosh’s announcement, that retailers may just ask for their money back and return the units. Not sure how that process works, but I’ve worked for PC vendors before and that’s not out of the question.
Comment by Zed Zee — Feb 19, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
i have pity for those poor sobs with a xbox360 and a HD-DVD player
Comment by mark — Feb 20, 2008 @ 4:35 am
to cenTripEtAl:
“Starwars III looks much better and it’s a DVD. ”
No. Get glasses.
I’m glad you enjoy 360 so much. It’s a decent system. You should probably at least play Gears if you’re into FPS. But honestly, 2008 looks like PS3’s year granted that nothing gets delayed and what’s exclusive stays exclusive. I think your taste for games is much different than most PS3 owners, especially if Wipeout is your most anticipated game over stuff like LBP, KZ, FF, MGS, etc.
Comment by Robert — Feb 20, 2008 @ 7:29 am
WTF?
Er… 1295 (Blu-Ray) 229 (HD-DVD) What about the PS3 you twits (249!)
Trust the BBC to make a pigs ear of it, and what about that technical advisor at the end? What a div, curry’s just don’t want to be left with a shed full of useless DVD-HD players or he’s just a mindless moron that know’s sod all about HD which either could be very true.
Blu-Ray has won, get over it.
Comment by anthonyp — Feb 20, 2008 @ 8:52 am
sorry typo: meant to say 449 not 229
Comment by anthonyp — Feb 20, 2008 @ 8:53 am
None of this matters if we don’t start to get some decent games of a decent length which utilise the capacity of the Blu-Ray discs.
Right now the games available are totally uninspiring, COD4 and Oblivion excepted, but two good games in almost a year is extremely poor, extremeely poor indeed.
Comment by Ton Capone — Feb 21, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
Wonder when Blu Ray will get the Matrix? Still one reason to keep hold of the HD-DVD player!!
Comment by Arthur the Magnificiant Squirrel — Feb 22, 2008 @ 10:41 am
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