Comments on: It's official: Toshiba announces HD DVD surrender

The consumer electronics giant says it will stop producing HD DVD players, effectively conceding the high-def format war to Blu-ray.

[Chiatzu]

Paramount it's over

I didn't see this coming so soon. I knew the end was near, but Toshiba
raising the surrender flag this fast after Wal Mart came out for 'ole Blu was a
shocker. I hope the HD DVD fanboys who spammed all of the different Blu-
ray suport groups are happy now. Buh bye.

What's up with Paramount? Are they still sulking or what? Join 'ole Blu and
get over it already. We need Star Trek and Transformers on Blu-ray ASAP or
yesterday, whichever comes first. Michael Bay isn't quite as PO'ed as before
and would like to get going on Transformers 2. I hope.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=415

[hoffmanb]

What should I do

I purchased a Toshiba HD-A3 Nov, 23 2007 I have yet to open the box as I am in the final stages of a home remodeling project. I purchased it from sears is there anything I can do?

[krustykanuck]

Sears has a 30 day return policy on electronics

I don't think you can return your HD-A3 player anytime soon. But at least you will soon have a bunch of cheap High-Def videos avaialable to buy - or you can use your player to up-convert standard DVDs. This Blu-Ray fanboy nonsense about using HD-DVDs as doorstops is overblown. The player is good for regular DVDs as well and it really didn't cost that much more than a decent upconverting DVD player (and you got some free films to boot).

Don't rush to by Blu-Ray yet though. The standalone players are only compatible to the Format 1.0 or 1.1 Blu-Ray standard and not the future 2.0 standard (unless you intend to buy a PS3 for playback - with a separate remote control purchase). Prices will likely drop on the 1.0 and 1.1 format machines later this year, but I doubt the new 2.0 players will be cheap. We also don't know if Sony will have much reason to drop the Blu-Ray disc prices now that HD-DVD is out of the picture.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Toshiba Blu-Ray player in the future. Maybe they will offer an exchange policy for upcoming players? Doubt it, but then again who knows? Toshiba recently inked a deal to work with Sony on Cell-Processor development so there isn't that much bad blood between the two companies. Also Sony only holds apparently a 30 percent stake in Blu-Ray.

[hoffmanb]

What should I do?

I purchased a Toshiba HD-A3 Nov, 23 2007 I have yet to open the box as I am in the final stages of a home remodeling project. I purchased it from sears is there anything I can do?

[hoffmanb]

What should I do?

I purchased a Toshiba HD-A3 Nov, 23 2007 I have yet to open the box as I am in the final stages of a home remodeling project. I purchased it from sears is there anything I can do?

[WMJZ]

Keep it and Enjoy

Don't worry Just open and enjoy. Plenty of movies available and upsacling of standard dvd's is awsome. and cd playback throuhg a reciever is great, right now the family is watching Disney's Game Plan a standard disc dvd upscaling to 1080i with my Toshiba A3 on a 50 inch plasma and the picture and sound are awsome if you were watching it you wouldn''t know it's a standard def DVD. keep it and use it. Blue ray will be dead in a year or two anyway as far as home theater is concerned and the Media servers on the market now for home theater have dual capability drives will HD DVD and Blue Ray plus up to a terrabyte of storageso that's gonna be the future.

[tom.o]

It was a Black Friday Purschase!

You purchased it on Black Friday. If you bought it for $99 or so; sit back and enjoy the upscaled DVDs and send in for the freebies. If you paid more than that... it's still a good upscaling unit

[askjordan]

Get a PS3, it's future proof

The PS3 is future proof, it will support bd 2.0 and beyond with future firmware releases, even if you never play a ps3 game, you have a blu-ray player that is future proof.

These firmware specs don't change the HD picture quality, these specs are only feature enhancements. How many times in the past 10 years have you listened to the director's comments or changed viewing angles while watching a standard dvd movie?

Blu-Ray will be around for years because it's convenient to have the media and not be tied to a subscription HD download. These subscription based HD downloads are not 1080P and the audio is also compressed. The HD download companies, i.e. Amazon Unbox, Apple Tv, do not have the infrastructure or bandwith to stream a 1080P on demand video to you.

In order for Companies to make a lot of money consistently, patents are licensed. The Sony bashing is extreme. Sony is a licensee but there are essential 16 other companies that have patents for blu-ray.

[Ferris B]

The WalMart factor

Will BluRay take off now and become the next DVD? Not unless player and media prices come down.

Now, I personally don't have a problem spending $399 on a PS3, or a similar amount on a standalone player; plus about $1K/year for disc rentals or purchases. But, like most here on Crave, I'm an early adopter (paid $5K for a 50-inch plasma in '04) and not struggling to make ends meet (I don't think cnet or Crave are bookmarked too often by the food stamp set, do you)?

But it's the low and lower-middle socieconomic groups that BluRay needs to win over. That's a huge market - think of them as everyone from welfare bums to the working poor to struggling middle management families dealing with mortgage stress. They're not buying high-end highdef panels, but rather whatever's priced attractively at WalMart, and they won't adopt BluRay until prices come much closer to that of regular DVD.

So let's hope those prices come down. Otherwise, you'll see limited BluRay movie selection for the next couple of years, by which time we'll all have access to highdef downloads making physical media pointless, anyway.

[groink_hi]

What are you talking about?

High-definition is not a REPLACEMENT for DVD. That's like saying DVD was a replacement for VHS. And everyone knows that isn't true by any means. Like many other products in this world, you have low-end and you have high-end. You have cheap cars without the frills, and then you have Hummers, Beamers and Mercedes Benz. You have the 50-inch hi-def TV, and then you have a Sony PSP.

There will always be two markets for everything. Today, you have the $50 DVD player. That's for the welfare bums you speak of. They're the same people who were buying VHS players when DVD players were $500. Or did you forget that period entirely? DVD players WILL still be available 10 years from now. TODAY, I can still purchase a laserdisc player from Pioneer. I even purchased a professional SVHS player/recorder just six months ago. Media formats will live for decades! VHS is still plentiful in people's homes. Millions still own DVD players and they continue to buy new DVD players. It took over 10 years for DVDs to dip into the sub-$100 market. Let's give Blu-Ray at least five years to do the same.

[Johnny Mac 7]

Internet Movies Through X-BOX

I was visiting my son recently. He has an X-BOX system run through a front projector producing a 140" diagonal image. I watched as he and his friends played Guitar Hero and two car racing games in that huge size. I played a little my self. I have a 65" HDTV so I know good quality. I was impressed by what I saw, even though it was a gaming system. Then one night I came over later and they were already watching Transformers. The size and the quality were impressive at that size. I asked if we had been watching a DVD of the movie because I knew he didn't have either HD DVD or Bluray, although at that size I was sure a SD DVD couldn't look that good. He told me it was an online download (or streaming video?) through the X-BOX. It played flawlessly. I could only think that if it looked that good at 140" at 1280 X 720 resolution how much better it would look on my 65" HDTV and if this is the future WHO NEEDS Bluray?

[Wally Flick]

HD-DVD Blow Out at...

HDScape $6.95 while supplies last.

Get 'em while they last!!

[WMJZ]

notice the ratio?

80% of the posts on this forum are play atation3 owners how strange? do you have a 102 inch screen? with a dlp projector and a 1600 dollar 7.1 reciever and klipsch speakers ? doubt it go play you ps3's you don't even have a clue about home theater.it's over quit boasting and don't cry when Blue Ray goes away. samsung and toshiba are venturing on the next hd format as we chat it's already in print

[chadmak09]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!

Dude you are a joke!!
HD-DVD lost!!
THE future is blu!!!!!
Either ride the wave of change of get your butt rolled over!!

[askjordan]

Ps3 doesn't = all the blu ray machines.

It's because I know about Home theatre systems that I bought a ps3. Stop whining and add something positive to this thread.

[WMJZ]

go to magnolia or crutchfieild

Go to crutchfield or magnolia see if they recommend a Play station for home theater bet not

[ketjr81]

crutchfield

right, because they just like to tell people to buy things somewhere else right?

[ianim8]

I feel so sorry for you HD-DUDers...NOT!!

you guys are funny ;)
keep writing em.
you'll need something to do to get over the pain.
just let it all go, its good for you.
better you take it out on us on the internet than someone you love ;)
LOL

[messbase7777]

blu ray and hd dvd non event

I have an upscaling dvd players and have compared TV's with a upconversion chips with blu ray (and hd) players and have not noticed enough of a difference to spend hundreds of additional dollars. I can wait till I can download hd content without compression deficiencies. I also noticed that a lot of dedicated blu ray (and hd) players seemed to have a better picture that a ps3 on the same sets.

[Wally Flick]

Billy, Billy... why so angry?

Actually I have a 55" LCD HDTV, $1,200 7.1 Denon Receiver, 7.1 Klipsch reference speaker set-up, and a Toshiba standard def DVD progressive scan DVD player (so I'm not anti-Tosh).

I just happen to have a PS3 too and couldn't praise it more that I already have in this thread.

[ianim8]

Just to clarify...

I work in the Computer Graphics industry.
For the last few years Ive been given the task to work with a Digital Signage system. Basically Im working with displays that playback creative off all types. Currently Im using an MPG2 playback solution via networked PC's. Does the job and seems to be fine. I have however tested a few Blu-Ray players to appeace upper management. If it was possible to use PS3s and have the ability to control playback then I would have gone that route ;) Well I was hoping. Im not sure what most nay-sayers are basing their viewing opinions are but I will give you all the benefit of the doubt due to a few reasons. To sum it up, there are so many varying ways of setting up a system and trust me Ive gone thru hell and back. The best results Ive seen are, PS3 playing back Apocalypto on a Panasonic 103 inch tv. Does this mean we all should give up cause we cant afford one? I think Im happy with my Panny 42 at 1024x768 along with the PS3 ;)

[flywithsean]

Still Uphill for Blu Ray

Blu Ray may be the optical King of the Hill but they will face ever increasing
challenges from avenues such as Apple TV, Vudu, and the Netflix set top box.
The future is not in optical devices but in downloadable entertainment. We are
still a ways away but not as far as we once were. Games and Movies will head in
this direction. Your next XBOX or PS may not have an optical drive. That will be
what want, so I don't have to get off my couch to change games.

[failedfx]

Internet woes

This is my first post on cnet...ever. I just wanted to state that in the US I do not believe we are currently equipped to handle high def movies to be sent over the internet. Where I live the absolute fastest internet you can get is 10Mb/Sec. That would be quiet a wait to download a full 1080p HD movie with DTS or something like that.

[mkozikowski]

Down but not out

I think if Toshiba wants to grow this format, the simplest way to keep it alive is to continue making recorder/players for the computer market and deliver with a driver that supports Linux and any other open source platform.

Once the open source community grabs hold of this capability, it will run for the long haul.

The key will be to provide either a cleanly written driver that is maintained by Toshiba, or to give a basic driver set that is fully open.

Another key element would be to provide a user friendly, basic program that will allow creation and viewing of the high def movies, as well as mass storage.

Not a difficult task.
AND
It keeps the assembly lines running.

Who knows, may even one day beat out the other guy

[tagmaster1]

Toshiba surrendered, but I don't have to buy Blue

I own a Toshiba HD player and will NEVER change to Blue Ray. I already have a good collection of movies and other programs in HD format and unless a new one comes out in HD I just won't buy it! So what, it will still play movies on DVD and the quality is excellent. You got to send a message that you are NOT going to purchase another product just because it comes out. See they are already saying that another one is on it's way. For me the buck stops here at HD! Others can make their own choice!

[Ironpeddler]

Be Careful What We Wish For!

OK, the war is over...and the winner is the non-supportive, worst customer service driven, number one company known for price gouging...SONY. What makes everyone at CNET think the BluRay player prices will come down? I bet they stay the same or go UP! That's the corporate model at Sony...and it's not customer driven, it's profit at any cost driven. After being stung by them on 5-6 products (PC DVD recorder, projection TV, AV receiver, 2 DVD players, VCR, etc) only to get no warranty service..."go local"...my money will stay in my pocket before I give it to SONY again.