Toshiba announced that it will stop production on HD-DVD players and recorders, effectively ending the format war between HD-DVD and Sony’s Blu-ray technology.
HD-DVD took a series of blows over the past few months, beginning with Warner Bros.’ decision to exclusively release movies on Blu-ray discs and joined by decisions by Netflix and Wal-Mart to exclusively stock Blu-ray discs and players.
"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called next-generation format war and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," Toshiba president and CEO Atsutoshi Nishida said in a statement. "While we are disappointed for the company and, more important, for the consumer, the real mass-market opportunity for high-definition content remains untapped, and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will halt production and delivery of HD-DVD players and recorders, as well as HD-DVD disc drives for PCs and game consoles, sometime in March.
