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Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses
Toshiba, Japan (article in Engrish) ^ | 19 February 2007 | Toshiba Corporate Announcement

Posted on 02/19/2008 9:02:21 AM PST by Vigilanteman

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 convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.

"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," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, 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."

(Excerpt) Read more at toshiba.co.jp ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bluray; hd; hddvd; toshiba
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To: southlake_hoosier

Sorry, but you’re wrong about the PQ.

While good up conversion can look terrific, it isn’t the same as the real 1080p. I’ve A/B’d the same titles on Blu-ray (via PS3) and DVD (via a $1500 up converting DVD player) and the real HD is appreciably better, sharper and with better color.
Of course this doesn’t take away from the “Garbage in, garbage out” factor in which a good DVD could conceivably be better than a poor Blu-ray, but all things being equal the real high def will be better.

Up conversion’s a good way to watch DVD’s until they get released on BD, though, and for people (like my wife) for whom “ultimate” PQ isn’t the be-all and end-all.

cheers
Jim


81 posted on 02/19/2008 10:26:37 AM PST by gymbeau (I always wanted to be the first buffoon on the moon)
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To: longtermmemmory

Yeah, TV’s could have an integrated DVR, you might even have an option to download any new movies. A separate DVD or DVR would be unnecessary.


82 posted on 02/19/2008 10:35:26 AM PST by Brett66 (Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: Brett66

I actually LIKE the glorified picture frame concept of being able to put in a chip with hundreds of picturs cycling.

If the LARGE LCD screeds come down below $500 then they even become competative with artwork. Why buy a static painting for 500+? I can even change the chip (and hopefully chips) to match the party or celebration at the house. (kid pictures birthday, fourth of july, christmas etc.)

If the makers were SMART they would make a way to syncronize them all ala the Bill Gates Mansion.


83 posted on 02/19/2008 10:46:02 AM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: southlake_hoosier
You do not need a HD or Blu-Ray DVD to get a great picture. A typical DVD player with an upconvert 1080i or 1080p and a monitor with the appropriate 1080i or 1080p gets you the same picture as a Blu-Ray or HD DVD.

Not entirely true. Most NEW DVD players will upconvert to 1080i but require an HDMI connection to do it though a few will do it over component links. There are also a few that will upconvert to 1080p but they tend to be very expensive.

84 posted on 02/19/2008 11:09:32 AM PST by Wil H
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To: Lee'sGhost
So, can somebody who knows this stuff tell me if the better format won?

The two formats perform about identically in displaying HD, but Blu-Ray, when used for data, has greater capacity.

85 posted on 02/19/2008 11:18:58 AM PST by BlazingArizona
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To: longtermmemmory
A BluRay disk holds 50 GB. Bandwidth is important as well. The cheap SD disks are often fairly slow memory. I purchase the very fast ones for my digital cameras to reduce latency between shots. Those don't come cheap.

The industry is anxious to eliminate optical disks in favor of broadband distribution. Completely network dependent. That's not feasible in my area. The best networking in town is far too slow. A network approach would allow a pay per view distribution with a license that lasts for a limited time. The studios and content providers would love to have a repeat revenue stream on the same title if they can pull it off.

86 posted on 02/19/2008 11:22:12 AM PST by Myrddin
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To: IrishCatholic
OK, I give up. Was post 15 in HD or BluRay? Or was it post 16? You’re right. You can’t tell the difference :-)

LOL!

87 posted on 02/19/2008 11:36:45 AM PST by Womp Rat
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To: Wil H

Do you know if the xbox360 hooked up via HDMI upconverts?


88 posted on 02/19/2008 11:37:05 AM PST by copaliscrossing (If stupidity were barrels of oil, we should start drilling the liberals heads right now!!!)
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To: Syntyr; All
...

... Aeon Flux, ...

uggghhh... a chubby, rug-slug like Charlize Theron portraying stiletto-slender Aeon Flux on film?

casting heresy!

Weren't either of the Beckinsdale twins available?

89 posted on 02/19/2008 11:41:39 AM PST by britt reed (What if the Founding Fathers had "just stayed home"?)
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To: britt reed; All
Correction:

Kate BECKINSALE does NOT have twin. Sorry folks!

90 posted on 02/19/2008 11:46:13 AM PST by britt reed (What if the Founding Fathers had "just stayed home"?)
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To: Wil H
DVD player with an upconvert 1080i or 1080p and a monitor with the appropriate 1080i or 1080p

Repeat. Same as you say. I just did not specifically mention the HDMI connector.

91 posted on 02/19/2008 11:48:27 AM PST by southlake_hoosier (.... One Nation, Under God.......)
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To: Vigilanteman
Does this mean my current DVD player isn't going to work anymore? If that's the case then I have to now go out and purchase a blu-ray player?

And what does this mean for those of us who like to burn movies that we record off video cameras, VCRs, tv input cards, etc, unto DVD? Will we now be able to burn our movies to blu-ray discs?

92 posted on 02/19/2008 12:03:09 PM PST by pctech
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To: britt reed
uggghhh... a chubby, rug-slug like Charlize Theron portraying stiletto-slender Aeon Flux on film?

Huh?

Chubby?

:: rubs eyes ::

Huh?

93 posted on 02/19/2008 12:29:44 PM PST by AFreeBird
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To: pctech
Current DVD players will still play DVDs until they wear out. Ditto for HD-DVD players. Standard DVD format is going to be around an awfully long time, just like cassette tapes, whose obituary was prematurely written with the advent of the CD player in 1988.
94 posted on 02/19/2008 12:38:53 PM PST by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: Vigilanteman

I guess a better question to ask would be this: Will my DVD collection play on a blu-ray system?


95 posted on 02/19/2008 1:10:09 PM PST by pctech
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To: Eva

I have 1080i TV . . . almost as good?


96 posted on 02/19/2008 1:17:25 PM PST by Lee'sGhost (Johnny Rico picked the wrong girl!)
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To: pctech
Technical support.
97 posted on 02/19/2008 2:06:59 PM PST by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: dfwgator
Guess this time Sony didn't have to deal with the porn industry, since today it's mostly distributed online.

What's interesting was that while the Blu-ray duplication facilities in Japan wouldn't produce adult videos, Sony actually set up production lines in Taiwan (!!) so we could see adult videos on the Blu-ray format.

I do know since 2004 several of the larger adult video companies now film in 1080i and 720p high-definition formats using "prosumer" HD camcorders. Of course, it's not a cheap expense, since with HD quality they have to be a lot more careful in finding a good-looking adult video star and of course, makeup expenses are going to be way higher, too. That might explain why well-known adult film star Jenna Jameson retired to full-time directing of adult movies, since she didn't look "good" filmed on a HD format.

98 posted on 02/19/2008 7:46:20 PM PST by RayChuang88
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To: RockinRight

Does this mean that the new tv’s I got for Christmas with the built-in dvd players are not going to work with the blu-ray discs?


99 posted on 02/19/2008 7:50:43 PM PST by MHT
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To: MHT

No, just keep using regular DVD’s.


100 posted on 02/19/2008 8:30:57 PM PST by RockinRight (Supreme Court Justice Fred Thompson. The next best place for Fred.)
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