Toshiba Confirms Withdrawal from HD-DVD

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

With the announcement yesterday that Wal-Mart was dropping HD-DVD, this announcement was inevitable. When the world’s largest retailer drops your product, it’s time to cut your losses and get out.

It had already been rumored a few days ago that Toshiba was planning to get out, but it seems that now it’s official. Toshiba has announced it’s getting out of HD-DVD, with the announcement coming first in Japan. As the developer of the format, this is truly “the end.”

NHK News announced the news (Japanese). Not only has HD-DVD taken major hits worldwide since the announcement by Warner Bros (just prior to CES) that it was dropping support for HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, if you look just in Japan Blu-ray now has 90% of the high-definition market.

Toshiba will continue to sell HD-DVD products for some time, clearing out its inventory, but no new products will be developed, according to NHK. Factories in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, will be closed.

Likely both Toshiba and Microsoft (another HD-DVD backer) will come out with Blu-ray products - soon.

The rapid progression since the Warner Bros. announcement has gone as follows:

• Warner Bros. announces intention to drop HD-DVD (Jan. 4 - week before CES)
• HD-DVD group cancels CES party (just prior to CES)
• Rumors fly about Paramount / Universal following Warner Bros.
• HD-DVD player prices plummet (just after CES)
• Online Petition started to save HD-DVD (mid- to late- Jan.)
• Gartner says price cuts just prolong the agony (end of Jan.)
• Netflix drops HD-DVD (this week)
• Best Buy to promote Blu-ray (this week)
• Rumors fly about Toshiba dropping out
• Wal-Mart drops HD-DVD (yesterday)
• The End (today)