I know it’s only been a few days since my last update of the HD format war between Blu-Ray Disc and HD DVD, but there are more articles and developments on the tech sites (Engadget: “Toshiba gearing up to drop HD DVD?“; Home Media Magazine: “HD DVD Format on Death Watch“; Gizmodo: “Toshiba Finally Taking HD DVD Off Life Support“; The Hollywood Reporter: “Toshiba to drop HD DVD, sources say“.
All articles report that sources claim Toshiba will drop the format in the coming weeks.
The official response from Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products:
Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings.
Given the market developments in the past month, Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players.
According to NPD, drastic price cuts on hardware have not helped with sales of players, following a rash of disappointing developments for the backers of the HD DVD format (see OPB articles: “HD Format War Developments“, “More HD War Developments Out of CES“, “HD Format War – More Bad News for HD DVD“, “HD Format War – Two More Blows Against HD DVD“).
The Hollywood Reporter’s sources estimate Toshiba could be losing as much as a few hundred dollars on each player sold at retail. They go on to report:
“An announcement is coming soon,” said one source close to the HD DVD camp. “It could be a matter of weeks.”
Jason De Bord