Toshiba gearing up to drop HD DVD?
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 14th 2008 8:34PM
posted Feb 14th 2008 8:34PM
[Via Home Media Magazine, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted Feb 14th 2008 8:34PM
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Oh dear, we are going to need a WAAAAAMBULANCE in here for NFINITY and TRUTHTELLER
Engadget HD, you should be held accountable for their mental health after this post. You should know better.
Hooray for FUD! I want to see a single format, and I wanted HD DVD to win as I am not a fan of Sony as a company. But, BR does appear to have better capacity and supports higher bitrates, even if they use region coding (lame) and rushed out players (and in some cases, movies) that simply weren't ready. So, Blu-ray it is.
However, this appears to be a lame rumor for now, and having everybody spread this crap as fact is lame. If Toshiba gives up, that's cool; they tried really hard to sell this and they have/had their fans. But, I prefer to wait and see if they will actually give up before we get the whole "final nail in the coffin" crap that keeps getting posted here when something else "bad" happens to HD DVD.
No kidding, Student Driver. It is kind of sad how a lot of people see this and think it's a fact. Could it be? Yes. Has Toshiba said anything? No. It's just a rumor, not fact. But if people need to take this as a sign that HD DVD is done so they can feel better about buying an overpriced player that is incomplete, go nuts with that.
Another post by another ugly winner. It's been a month and a half since the Warner decision, and some folks are STILL dancing in the end-zone. Time to throw a flag.
With big retailers such as Wal-Mart & Best Buy, Netflciks and so on, pulling HD-DVD's from their shelves this format doesn't look to make much in a come back. But let's not forget why VHS won over the way-beter Beta format of tapes. Sony refused to allow the Porn industry to produce on Beta which is why VHS won (Porn had a significant percentage of the video industry). Beta stomped the daylights out of VHS but look which format drove the market. Don't be surprised if the "Formst War" isn't over, HD-DVD may have a few tricks up their sleeves looking back at history. On the other hand it appears that Sony has the upper hand with the PS3 and Disney, as though they learner from their mistakes!
I wont be mad as long as they come out with a combo player
I hope they give discounts to those that bought HD-DVD players. As an HD-DVD buyer over the Xmas season, I feel slightly burned -- not enough to sue, but I am one of those people who actually believes in personal responsibility.
Don't do it Tosh, keep fighting the good fight!
$10 says that Nfinity and Truth Teller will still think HD DVD will win even after Toshiba folds.
another $10 if even after no support for HD DVD, they'll still support it
I will support HD DVD even if it is no longer supported. I refuse to support Sony because they release incomplete profiles alienating early adopters. I will NEVER buy a BD player ever.
P.S. I hate the name Blu-Ray. Is it that hard to spell blue correctly?
I will totally still support it. I still buy laserdiscs at the flea-market so I am looking forward to $3 HD-DVDs. Only problem is there is a lot more laserdiscs out there.
@Peter
uh huh. I bet you wont.
Nfinity and Truth Teller won't concede defeat while even a single HD DVD remains on the shelf of a thrift shop. That is because they are idiots, so emotionally invested in a $100 box that it has become an obsession for them.
@ Peter
every day words cannot be patented or use that way. Its not allowed.
@Peter, you claim profiles were "incomplete". How so? The specifications of Profile 1.0 have been long known. Why would someone buy a player if the specs didn't meet their requirements? Were they seriously expecting a blu ray player to grow an ethernet port? Maybe they should have waited or gone with a PS3 if that was their hope.
If you're claiming that the HD DVD specification had some advantages over Blu Ray profile 1.0 then yes it did. It had for example some marginal advantages such as PIP and internet connectivity. PIP is in profile 1.1 and if you absolutely must have internet connectivity for some crappy portal / shop then wait for profile 2.0.
A more sensible reason to wait if you must have a reason is so prices can drop and you have more choice. But for early adopters its their own damn fault if they bought a profile 1.0 player if they were holding out for features that only a later profile would provide.
@DrXym:
"That is because they are idiots, so emotionally invested in a $100 box that it has become an obsession for them."
Replace "$100" with "$500" and you're saying the EXACT same thing for many BD supporters.
Pot. Kettle. Black.
@ DrXym,
I think what people are saying about calling 1.0/1.1 incomplete is that it isn't the final spec of the player. Can a 2.0 disc play on a 1.0 player for the main feature? Yes. Can you access all the extra features that are available on that disc on the 1.0 player? You say you don't want it, and that's fine. But you don't speak for everyone that will buy a Blu-ray player. Right now it might be some cheap web portal that doesn't really add anything, but that doesn't mean that will always be that case. Who knows what studios can come up with. Achievement points were a little stupid in the beginnning of the 360's life on how you earned them, but developers got better at coming up with different ways to earn them. Just like these web portals. If I get a 1.0/1.1 player now because I don't care for the extras on the web, fine. But if a movie comes out with something really cool with the web extras in the future, I need to buy a new player to access it. Why not just wait until I can get a 2.0 player so I only have to buy one player instead of two? In the meantime, I'll watch my Blu-rays on my PS3.
SONY BETAMAX lost in the early 19080's, when VHS grew to over 90% of the market. Sony started producing VHS players in 1988, BUT DID NOT STOP MAKING BETAMAX PLAYERS UNTIL 2002. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax)
Sorry for the caps, but it is important to realize that many companies think it wise to support their customers well past the point where everyone else has moved on. Doesn't mean they are still trying to "win the war", it means that they feel responsible to their customers. They lose money at it, but they gain the trust of the affected customers.
Toshiba may well start making Blu-ray players (or, more likely, combo players), but if they just drop HD DVD they will lose forever those early adopters that have significant HD DVD collections. Which would be a stupid thing for Toshiba to do.
I'm pretty shocked to see that they have obviously just used the comment from Jodi Sally which was made much earlier after the Netflix/Best Buy move.
I really doubt anyone from Toshiba has said anything about this rumour at all.
I don't think it's such a surprise that 'sources' (yeah right) have started spreading this little tale just as the 'Warner not quite ditching HD DVD' story has broken.
It's running in tandem with the recent Toshiba Blu-ray player rumour.
But the most clear & obvious fabrication (which is a real surprise coming from HR) is the dishonest quote.
It would be one thing if they were 100% straight with the story but it ought to be obvious to even the most blind that they just aren't being here on this.
Given the high stakes I guess we shouldn't be surprised some obvious manipulation is going on.
If you want to buy into it then go ahead but I think it says far more about your own prejudices.....
Serious question: Would you buy a Toshiba BD player?
I wouldn't, i will not buy blu!
toshiba's BD player? hell no, thank you. I had bad experiences with toshiba's products. Laptops, etc. I'd rather get Sony, even overpriced, but it's quality is beyond all others. Besides, why would I need another BD player? 3 is enough for me
The reason to get a toshiba BD player is that it will probably play HD DVDs as well.
Truth Teller can't you see what's going on..
As soon as Warner said that they are not "REALLY" Blu-Ray exclusive if there's a demand for HD DVDs.. here comes Engadget and other paid off Blu-Ray FUD media and pushing again fear..
Seriously, this is really getting very annoying. That there's so many people without an OUNCE of credibility, and morals really shocks me..
So what they have to do is start publishing some AGAIN "imagined conclusions" out of statements from HD DVD camp.
Pathetic.
Instead, I'll be looking for my Dark Knight on HD DVD you losers because it's obviously coming.
yeah Nfinity...almost as annoying as you have been for the last 6 months, especially the last month with all your BS about how Sony had paid off Warner to go blu exclusive. and now that you see that wasn't true you have no choice but to turn and bash Engadget, because all of your Sony/Blu bashing was totally stupid and false
Hey nfinity, you're a retard.
"As soon as Warner said that they are not "REALLY" Blu-Ray exclusive if there's a demand for HD DVDs.."
YES THEY ARE BLURAY EXLCUSIVE FOR ALL TITLES RELEASED AFTER MAY
they will only RESTOCK PREVIOUSLY RELEASED HD-DVD TITLES!!
you aren't gonna get your dark knight on hd-dvd.
@TruthTeller
I honestly don't even understand your rants anymore. I don't know what you're trying to say in your post...it's incoherent.
But then I look at the time stamp and suddenly understand. You're on engadget at night on Valentine's day...starting to make sense....
David, awesome post. LOL!!!
Ouch!
Wonder where the truth of this rumor lies, the BDA?
@deeznutz
i would aslong as it was reasonable prices and future proofed for atleast 6 months unlike the other bd offerings. I for one and i think i can speak for alot of hd-dvd owners don't hate blu-ray we hate the fact they launched a halfass product
There is one. It's called the PlayStation 3.
I know: It's pricey. But Sony has already said they're going make sure the PS3 goes fully Profile 2.0 (it was close to being the first Profile 1.1 player, too).
So, once the 40GB PS3 gets a little cheaper, buy one. It's worth it.
Wow, I'll be glad the format war will be over soon, if for no other reason to hear a reduced amount of spin on Engadget HD.
Here here. It'll be nice to get back to the HD love!
Well, you heard it here first. If/when Toshiba concedes, this future-dated article can claim they had the first scoop. I mean, "in the coming weeks," that really narrows things down for us, doesn't it?
Recording the hits, ignoring the misses..
My bad. This particular article is not dated in the future. It was just another article about the exact same thing that I read not too long ago.
if Toshiba did make a BD player it would be the best BD player on the market.
Toshiba best CE company in the world
Nice avatar, what a tool... what tool did you use to create it?
Come on! Everybody knows that Toshiba's VHS recorders were utter crap, and many even questioned Toshiba's DVD players' quality. So how can you say Toshiba's BD player will be the best?
I'd rather say the best BD players come from either Samsung or Panasonic. I'm still refraining to buy a BD player (although I do have a BD burner on my computer) until I see such a thing as either a region-free BD player (perhaps from Australia, as regional lockout is unconstitutional there) from Samsung or a BD-player/DVHS-recorder combo unit from Panasonic. (Panasonic supports the digital variant of VHS for home or professional recording.)
Seriously,
Truth Teller,
You and Roger Clemens should get together for a little 'no one believes you just because you say it emphatically' pep rally for the pathetically desperate.
I own neither player, but you have provided me countless laughs watching you squirm for absolutely no good reason other than to stand up for something that you have nothing to do with, no knowledge of, and clearly no insite into.
Keep it up douche bag, you are timeless.
Best. Reply. Ever.
TRUTH TELLER don't lie to us about Jodi making the comment before the 'Netflix/Best Buy move'.
We all know she is your wife, and that NFINITY is your former man-on-man lover.. as you and Jodi make sweet love every night talking about how HD DVD will win and how consumers are better off buying a dead format just because it cost less then something that won't be useless within the next few weeks and how Toshiba and Microsoft will rule the world, with you and your wife Jodi creating all the truely memorable HD spin.
TRUTH TELLER you and Jodi are truly and utterly madly meant for one another.
Nah, I think Jodi probably has a bf or husband with a life.
AFTER Toshiba does announce that HDDVD will be dropped, I wonder if Truth Teller and Nfinity will actually admit that it happened?
No they will just go deeper into their delusional group psychosis
I look forward to commenting on it...........
They will probably just claim that Sony put mind altering drugs in the entire country's water supply and that this is all a mass hallucination part of a giant conspiracy to make us THINK that Toshiba pulled HD-DVD off the market when in fact the format is doing well. There will no doubt be Amazon sales ranks presented to bolster their claims.
I predict they will turn on Toshiba. I'm betting they are M$ hacks.
NFINITY will start a petition to try to bring it back from the dead. Then he'll hack Toshiba's site and post that it was a rumor and that HD-DVDs are now being made by all studios.
Meanwhile the rest of the world will start to widely adopt Blu-Ray and very slowly start gaining ground on DVD's numbers.
I don't know why anyone even pays any attention to them anymore... TT even said in another thread:
"But it is fun taking the pi$$ out of the PS3 console kiddies and watching them get all puffed up & indignant over not beng taken seriously as a/v enthuisiasts" (SIC)
He just does it to get people riled up and it works. He constantly puts down the PS3 because he thinks it gets under people's skin and unfortunately it does. They both ignore points that contradict their arguments and repost the same things over and over again just to get everyone mad and it works. But despite all of TT's put downs, he has not stopped me from enjoying my PS3 for one moment and he never will.
I never understood why some people get so much pleasure out of trying to upset people on the internet. I enjoy reading discussions between people well-versed in this tech stuff, but I can't take anyone seriously who can't get through a discussion without reverting to put-downs.