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Toshiba America Consumer Products has announced a new technology to upconvert standard DVDs to high-definition quality, according to the company. The XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) upconfirts from 480i/p to 1080p and also offers several picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast, according to the Fort Wayne, N.J.-based subsidiary of Toshiba. "Consumers have embraced the DVD format like no other technology and invested in large libraries of their favorite movies. As the market moves towards high definition, XDE lets them experience their existing DVD library and the tens of thousands of DVD titles in...

Washington, D.C. (March 5, 2008) -- Last week, I took some heat from readers for saying here that Toshiba should offer company discounts to HD DVD owners after announcing it was exiting the business. I reasoned that it would be good business for Toshiba to send a signal to its customers that it appreciated their commitment to HD DVD. Now that the format is going out of business, the HD DVD player will be nearly obsolete. So, an offer, let's say, of 20 percent off a Toshiba LCD HDTV would make people feel better about their investment in not only...

Washington, D.C. (February 29, 2008) -- Sony, the leading supporter of Blu-ray, has said the new high-def disc will replace the standard-def DVD in the next several years. Is that possible? After all, standard-def DVD players are in nearly every American home and many people have built up impressive collections of DVD film libraries. However, now that Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD, it's my view that Blu-ray has an opportunity to become the leading home video format. So, how can Blu-ray replace the DVD? Here are five steps: 1. Lower Player Prices to Under $200 Blu-ray players...

Toshiba finally mercy-killed its HD-DVD format last week, ending a drawn-out fight with Sony's Blu-ray for high-definition disc supremacy. The format's demise has brought HD-DVD owners untold humiliation: reams of newspaper stories comparing them to the losers of yore who bought into Betamax and LaserDisc, the sad sight of desperate early adopters peddling brand-new players on Craigslist, and, worst of all, a Web site celebrating the similarities between HD-DVD and Hillary Clinton. I'm sick of the mockery and abuse. You see, I'm one of the morons who bought an HD-DVD player. While I freely admit my moronitude, I still believe...

Blu-ray Disc may have beaten out HD DVD as the high-definition optical disc format to replace DVDs, but it now faces a new test against Internet downloads, market researchers Gartner and iSuppli said. The two high-definition disc formats had battled for the past few years until Toshiba last week handed victory to Blu-ray Disc by announcing an end to its support of HD DVD. The company's decision came after a major Hollywood film studio and several retailers, including Wal-Mart, said they would back Blu-ray Disc exclusively. But the victory for Blu-ray Disc may be short-lived if consumers choose to download...

The first factor that needs to be put completely to one side is picture quality. Unless you are a technology geek with a television the size of a multiplex cinema screen, there is no difference between the output of HD DVD and Blu-ray machines. Both offer high definition DVD playback superior to standard DVD players. Where Sony had the killer edge is that its Playstation 3 (PS3) computer games console comes pre-fitted with a Blu-ray player. So as Sony has sold 10.5 million PS3 consoles since it was launched in late 2006, that is 10.5 million Blu-ray machines already in...

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products. HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital...

Japanese corporation Toshiba surrendered to Sony’s Blu-Ray technology and released a statement announcing the end of the road for the HD DVD. Toshiba says however that HD DVD consumers will continue to have full product support despite the decision not to develop and manufacture HD DVD players anymore. Toshiba Corp. will put an end to the HD DVD business by the end of March 2008, which includes besides players and recorders, HD DVD disk drives for PC applications and games. However, the company will continue to support and develop the standard DVD format, regardless of what is going to happen...

Washington, D.C. (February 18, 2008) -- Toshiba is likely to hold a board meeting as early as tomorrow to discuss dropping its HD DVD business. That's according to a report by the Associated Press. Various news reports over the weekend said Toshiba, the main backer of HD DVD, was planning to end its high-def disc format battle against Blu-ray. In recent weeks, Blu-ray player and disc sales have far outpaced HD DVD and Warner Bros. and several retailers have decided to endorse Blu-ray in the war. Toshiba publicly said Monday that it has started a review of the HD DVD...

NEWS: 15 February 2008 8:57 GMT - A movie news site is reporting that Toshiba is a matter of weeks away from conceding defeat of its HD DVD format in the next-gen high-def disc format war, giving in to Blu-ray's market dominance. The Hollywood Reporter states: "Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video's announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May". "An announcement is coming soon",...

Washington, D.C. (February 11, 2008) -- NetFlix today drove another nail in HD DVD's coffin by announcing it will support Blu-ray exclusively in the high-def disc format war. The by-mail DVD rental service, which has more than six million subscribers, has offered movies in both HD DVD and Blu-ray. However, the company today said the industry has "picked a winner" in Blu-ray. NetFlix noted that the majority of the major Hollywood studios have decided to support Blu-ray exclusively, with Warner Bros. last month the most recent one to do so. "As of now (NetFlix) will purchase only Blu-ray discs and...

Warner Home Video's defection from the HD DVD camp may have put a damper on hardware sales (see " Warner's Blu-ray Disc move has industry buzzing"). In the week since the studio's surprise early-January announcement that after May it will support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format, sales of HD DVD players ground to a virtual halt, giving Blu-ray hardware a whopping 93% sales advantage, according to data from the NPD Group. According to raw retail data collected by NPD, consumers bought just 1,758 HD DVD players the week of January 12, down from 14,558 players the week before. In...

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan 23, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AMD () today announced the introduction and availability of the ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3400 and ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3600 series, the leading-edge entry-level and mainstream graphics processors (GPU) in the ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3000 series. Ranging in price from USD $49-$65 suggested e-tail pricing (SEP) for the ATI Radeon HD 3400 series and USD $79-$99 SEP for the ATI Radeon HD 3600 series(1), the new graphics solutions deliver unmatched value to the consumer. Both series continue to advance AMD's leadership by delivering display connectivity through DisplayPort(TM) integrated into the GPU(2), allowing AMD...

Washington, D.C. (January 4, 2008) -- Warner Bros. today said it will endorse Blu-ray exclusively in the high-def format war against HD DVD. (See commentary below.) The move, which was predicted last month by this web site, now gives Blu-ray the exclusive backing of five major studios while HD DVD has just two. Worse news for HD DVD: Warner releases have been among the format's top sellers. However, the studio said that it will stop releasing films in HD DVD this May. Until now, Warner released movies in both formats. (Until May, Warner says it will release HD DVD titles...

BOOST FOR BLU-RAY! Warner Bros Will Release High-Def Titles Exclusively In That Format This is a huge development in the Blu-ray versus HD-DVD format war currently raging on. Warner Bros, which had been producing its high-def DVD titles in both formats, will start the Blu-ray exclusive later this year. The decision was made in response to stroing consumer preference for the Blu-Ray format, according to WB's announcement. I'd been hearing rumors for months that Warner Bros had been offered in the neighborhood of $250 million to go exclusively with HD-DVD. Less lavish but still big payments already had been offered...

More than 750,000 HD DVD high-def disc players have now been sold, according to the North American HD DVD Promotional Group. The group said the number includes standalone HD DVD players from Toshiba and the XBox 360 HD DVD player attachment. HD DVD and Blu-ray are rival formats competing for the new high-def disc audience. While HD DVD's 750,000 mark is impressive, it still falls far short of Blu-ray's overall home penetration total. Standalone HD DVD players are outselling standalone Blu-ray players, but Sony's Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, has sold millions of units. The exact...

[Wal-Mart] Wednesday said it would start its Black Friday and holiday pricing early on some items, in a move to drive sales during the increasingly competitive holiday shopping season. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said it will offer Black-Friday prices three weeks early by unveiling "secret" in-store specials. The company said it will offer discounts on five popular gift items. Wal-Mart plans to reveal discounts on its Web site on Thursday. The items will be available in stores beginning Friday morning, Nov. 2 as it officially opens its special Christmas shops. The day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest...

Washington, D.C. (October 18, 2007) -- An HD DVD player could be available for the new low price of $199 this holiday season. Internet message boards are buzzing with the possibility after a Wal-Mart employee posted an upcoming store notice about a $199 Toshiba HD DVD player. The price has not been confirmed by Wal-Mart or Toshiba, but the drop would not be surprising. Toshiba's entry-level player is now $299, but industry analysts have forecast that a sub-$200 player is likely for the holidays. Additionally, Blu-ray manufacturers are expected to lower the price on its players. Sony's Blu-ray player is...

Warner Bros. Weighing HD DVD Offer? The Los Angeles Times says so, quoting "Hollywood insiders." By Swanni Washington, D.C. (September 10, 2007) -- Warner Bros is considering a "lucrative offer" to back HD DVD exclusively in the high-def disc format war. That's according to an article in today's Los Angeles Times. Warner Bros. is now releasing titles in both Blu-ray and HD DVD and the studio has preached that the two-format approach has led to increased sales of such titles as The Departed. But the surprise departure last month of Steve Nickerson, Warner Home Video's senior vice president for High-Definition,...

1000GB = 20 times the size of a dual-layer Blu-ray disc Blu-ray and HD DVD have pushed the limits of optical storage further than anyone thought possible. But a new technology has emerged which makes Blu-ray's 50GB capacity look tiny. Mempile in Israel says it's able to fit an incredible 1TB of data onto one "TeraDisc" which is the same size as CDs and DVDs. That's 20 times the capacity of a maxed-out dual-layer Blu-ray disc. The incredible capacity achieved using this new technology is made possible by employing 200 5GB layers, each one only five microns apart. The discs...

In another blow to HD DVD, the giant Blockbuster video rental chain has thrown its weight behind Blu-ray in the fight to see which format is the high definition successor to the humble DVD. After renting Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year, Blockbuster has decide to stock only Blu-ray in its other 1250 US stores. Customers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time, reports Associated Press via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The release of Sony's Blu-ray-enabled PlayStation 3 games console was also a factor in the decision, said Blockbuster senior...

Building a business on mob rule is dangerous. Digg.com, a website that lets anyone post and rank news stories and blogs, found that out when its members staged a revolt over what they saw as an effort to censor them. It began this week when Digg started banning members from posting a software code that helps online pirates make bootlegged copies of movies. Digg took action because the entertainment industry had threatened to sue. The ban set the masses off. Scores of Digg's 1.2 million registered users deluged the site, breaking traffic records and making sure that every one of...

Excerpt - The folks at Digg.com have let the social news genie out of the bottle, and now they can't control it. Since the HD-DVD encryption code was discovered and published, readers at Digg have been repeatedly submitting stories with the 16 digit hex code in the titles and bodies. Just as quickly as these posts crawl up the Digg charts, admins seem to be deleting them. Just search Google for 09 F9 and you'll find the key. Will AACS send a Cease and Desist to InfoWorld because I posted the text "09 F9"? If so, we might as well...

There is one retailer that has the power to call the winner of the protracted Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD fight and that vendor is Wal-Mart. Over the weekend they apparently leaked plans to bring in a massive number of low cost (possibly sub $200) HD DVD players for Christmas. The manufacturing side of this has apparently been in the works for a few years but this is the first time we have had projected prices for the result. Why Wal-Mart, Why Now? Wal-Mart uses DVDs to build store traffic. They tend to subsidize the price for the movies they feature...

Blu-ray burning its high-def DVD rival Blu-ray accounts for three of every four high-def discs sold Thomas K. Arnold April 23, 2007 (Reuters) -- Of the high-definition discs bought by consumers in the first quarter, 70% were in the Blu-ray Disc format, and 30% were HD-DVD, according to sales figures provided by trade publication Home Media Magazine. Blu-ray took the lead in February, and its percentage of total sales accelerated to the point where it accounted for nearly three out of every four high-definition discs sold in March. What's more, when given the choice, consumers are going with Blu-ray....

As the tirade of HD back scratching continues unabated, with the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats vying for market and consumer dominance, supporters in both camps claim superiority at every turn despite the pendulum motion attributed to sales of software and hardware across separate regions of the world. With Sony’s recently released PlayStation 3 making a significant impact on the attraction of the Japanese giant’s Blu-ray high-definition format thanks to the videogames console’s sub-$500 USD price tag (which will soon shift to $599 USD following the production abandonment of the cheaper $499 20GB HDD model) sales of Blu-ray discs and hardware...

There's a new twist in the ongoing battle between the next-generation, high-definition DVD standards: Hackers have cracked the antipiracy software on several movies published in the HD DVD format. Perhaps ironically, hackers chose to break the copy-protection system in Universal's "Serenity," a 2005 science fiction film about a renegade crew of space outlaws. An informal, global alliance of hackers also deciphered the antipiracy protection on "12 Monkeys" and Peter Jackson's "King Kong." The hackers are distributing copies of the films using BitTorrent, a once-controversial file-sharing tool that is working to clean up its reputation by forging partnerships with TV and...

An anonymous computer programmer may have skewed the competition over standards for high-definition DVD discs by possibly defeating a scheme that both sides use to protect digital content. The standards, HD-DVD and Blu-ray, are being backed by rival coalitions of Hollywood studios and consumer electronics and computer companies that are eagerly marketing a new generation of digital media players and video game machines tailored for widescreen TVs. The HD-DVD coalition includes companies like Microsoft, Intel, Toshiba and NEC; the Blu-ray camp has Sony, Philips and Samsung. Among studios, Universal is exclusively backing HD-DVD. Paramount and Warner Brothers also support HD-DVD,...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The companies behind an encryption system for high-definition DVDs are looking into a hacker's claim that he has cracked the code protecting the new discs from piracy, a spokesman for one of the companies said on Thursday. A hacker known as Muslix64 posted on the Internet details of how he unlocked the encryption, known as the Advanced Access Content System, which prevents high-definition discs from illegal copying by restricting which devices can play them. The AACS system was developed by companies including Walt Disney Co., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Sony Corp. to protect...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp. (6753.T: Quote, NEWS , Research) said on Tuesday it has started the commercial production of blue laser diodes, taking aim at a market with strong growth potential.Sharp in November began volume output of blue laser diodes, used to read and write data on high-definition optical discs, at 150,000 units a month at its existing plant in western Japan, Sharp spokesman Hiroshi Takenami said.The diodes can be used in DVD players based on the Blu-ray format, championed by Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, NEWS , Research), as well as competing HD DVD technology, promoted by...

There are many reasons to buy an HDTV now. 1) Your team could be good this year. 2) There’s more stuff on high-definition TV than ever. 3) Prices are dropping. If you’re looking, here are some things you should know: DLP •Millions of tiny mirrors reflect light to produce a picture. You can recognize DLP (digital light processing) sets in the store: They’re the big, boxy televisions. LCD •Electrically charged liquid crystals untwist just enough to let the correct shade of light pass through. PLASMA •Bits of gas are ignited to produce light. FAQs Which is better, LCD or plasma?...

The wraps came off high-definition DVD players at this year's annual Consumer Electronics Show, offering the final component to replicate the movie theater experience at home. And while a fierce DVD format war likely will delay the mass adoption of such devices, digital video is here to stay - the Consumer Electronics Association trade group estimates 25 million U.S. homes will have a high-def TV set by year's end. But big, expensive flat-panel sets aside, this year's gadget show offered plenty of smaller screens for video... Yahoo Inc., DirecTV, Starz Entertainment Group and Sony were also among the companies getting...

Double disc might end hi-def war Many people are buying big screens to show hi-def films Inventors have come up with a design for a disc that can store copies of films in rival high-definition formats.A US patent has been filed for the discs that could hold both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray versions of movies. Currently movie makers and technology companies are dividing into camps that back either one or the other of the two formats. The creation of the discs could end the looming battle over the different high-definition formats. Format wars The design of the disc patented in...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood is hoping high-definition DVDs will reignite a slowing market for movies at home, but they have drawn mixed reviews from retailers and analysts due to technical issues and a bitter format war. The competing formats, Sony Corp.-backed <6758.T> Blu-ray and Toshiba Corp.-championed <6502.T> HD-DVD, aim to provide better picture quality and interactive features, but some early viewers have been underwhelmed. "Neither format is selling well or at the level I had expected. I had expected early adopters to step up and other retailers have had the same experience," said Bjorn Dybdahl, president of San Antonio,...

European Commission said a full investigation may follow Just when we think that Blu-ray and HD DVD will start showing up in mass production, the two formats enter into more trouble, this time with the European Commission. According to reports, the European Commission believes that the companies that are backing each format may have licensing terms that breach European competition rules. The report said that the European Commission launched an unofficial antitrust probe this month. Toshiba, the leading company behind HD DVD and Sony the leading company behind Blu-ray both received letters from the European Commission earlier this month. According...

CHOICE IS A BEAUTIFUL thing, whether it's picking stocks, voting for a politician or ordering pizza toppings. However, when it comes to the ongoing battle of the high-definition DVD formats — Blu-ray Disc vs. HD DVD — choice is a burden consumers will have to bear. That is, if they opt to choose at all. The first Blu-ray player in the U.S. is coming from Samsung next week — HD DVD players hit store shelves in the U.S. in mid-April — and I can't help but think that those early adopters who choose wrong will get burned. Recall how Sony...

THOSE WHO IGNORE HISTORY are doomed to repeat it. One of life's more satisfying ironies, however, is that the same fate often befalls those who fixate on history. Consider the coming train wreck of Sony's PlayStation 3.At this year's annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony announced that its next-generation video-game console will begin retailing in November for $599 (or $499 for a stripped-down version). The news rippled through the gaming industry, the consensus being that Sony had doomed its new system with such a high price tag. Traditionally, home video-game consoles have sold for $199 to $299.This news...

As it rolls out the first high-definition DVD player, Toshiba Corp. is boasting: "Image is everything." After testing the so-called HD DVD machine on three TVs of various dimensions, I hit on a more appropriate slogan: Size matters. ADVERTISEMENT Last week, a milestone in viewing was reached with the debut of the Toshiba HD-A1, which costs just shy of $500. (A deluxe model, the HD-XA1, goes for $800). Should you care? Probably not. Because unless you already have a state-of-the-art high-definition television at least 40 inches in size, you won't notice much of a difference. Here's my advice: If you've...

Sony Pictures on Tuesday said it aims to deliver its new Blu-ray Disc DVD format to U.S. stores on May 23 to coincide with the entry of compatible disc players, a new step in an industry war for control of home movie viewing. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment will first release eight Blu-ray titles, followed by another eight in mid-June. The first movie titles include "50 First Dates," "The Fifth Element," "Hitch" and "House of Flying Daggers." Blu-ray is locked in a multibillion-dollar standards war against a rival DVD format known as HD DVD. The technology companies...

The future of do-it-yourself video hardware in the Microsoft Vista generation is in question, as issues have surfaced surrounding two key portions of the high-definition video space. How consumers will have to deal with HDCP, a content protection scheme, and CableCards, a means of transmitting video information into the home, have come to the fore.

Hasta La Vista Blu-Ray By: Wednesday 28 December 2005, 08:16 PUNDITS taking bets on which next-generation high-definition DVD format will win acceptance - Blu-ray and HD-DVD - now think that it will be Microsoft that will decide. According to the EE Times, the Vole is using its operating-system clout to bundle HD-DVD within Vista, the company's next-generation OS. Microsoft is also offering er "cash incentives" to system vendors or retailers if they agree to support HD-DVD. Vole is refusing to confirm or deny the reports and the EE Times seems to think that such aggression has caught the Blu-ray advocates...

There are growing signs, though, that the battle for supremacy in this multibillion-dollar market may yield a hollow victory. As electronics makers, technology companies and Hollywood studios haggle over the fine points of their formats, consumers are quickly finding alternatives to buying and renting packaged DVD's, high-definition or otherwise. "While they fight, Rome is burning," said Robert Heiblim, an independent consultant to electronics companies. "High-definition video-on-demand and digital video recorders are compelling, and people will say, 'why do I need it?' " when considering whether to buy a high-definition player.

WASHINGTON — China has again unveiled plans to develop its own next-generation DVD format, according to reports there. China's state-run Xinhuanet Web site reported this week that a government research group will develop a China-only DVD format. The news agency quoted Lu Da, deputy director of the National Disc Engineering Center, as saying the Chinese DVD format will be based on "the prevailing format of HD DVD" but would be "incompatible with the HD DVD systems." "With such format and related standards," Lu was quoted as saying, "we could have our own voice in the DVD industry." Xinhuanet said a...

Sony, Toshiba close to reaching common DVD standard TOKYO (AFP) - Sony and Toshiba may agree on a common standard for the next generation of DVD technology within a week, ending a battle for a dominant system that had raged in the industry. The "blue laser" players will use light beams with a shorter wavelength than the red light of current DVD and CD players, promising higher data storage and picture quality to match high-definition television. The two companies are close to hammering out a format that would couple Toshiba's software technology with Sony's disc structure, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun...

TOKYO - Two Japanese companies said Tuesday they have developed a DVD that can play on both existing machines and the upcoming high-definition players, raising hopes for a smooth transition as more people dump old TV sets for better screens. Toshiba Corp. and Memory-Tech Corp. said their disc has a dual-layered surface that can store both types of data on the same side. For consumers, that would eliminate the potential headache of having to own two types of DVD players: Both will be able to read such discs, though only the newer equipment can take advantage of the higher-resolution technology....