Toshiba announced on Tuesday December 13 that it will delay the launch of HD DVD players in Japan. The company stated that the delay is being caused by the fact that it has not yet finalized all details of its copy protection management system. Despite the delay in Japan, Toshiba still aims to start selling HD DVD players in the United States in the first quarter of 2006. Originally Toshiba was aiming to have an earlier market launch than the Blu-ray group, which plans to launch its first offering in the beginning of 2006.