Toshiba to Quit HD DVD Business
February 22, 2008
In the wake of the respective announcements made by Warner Bros Entertainment to sell its HD (High Definition) movie titles only on Sony-backed Blu-ray discs and by the largest US retailer Wal-Mart to cease selling HD DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players by June 2008, HD DVD format leader Toshiba announced on February 19 that it will discontinue all businesses, bringing an end to the format war between the HD DVD and the Blu-ray DVD camps. Toshiba will longer manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders, Reuters News reported.
The Blu-ray camp, led by Sony, comprises TDK, Dell, Hitachi, Apple, HP, Philips and Samsung, as well as consumer electronics giants including Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Pioneer, and LG Electronics. In the entertainment industry, aside from Warner Bros Entertainment, the Blu-ray camp includes Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Lion Gate Entertainment, and Sony Pictures, accounting for approximately 70% of the overall home video market, according to the same Reuters report.