Toshiba Finally Launching Blu-ray Players?

After licking its wounds following the failure of its HD-DVD format, reports have Toshiba getting ready to embrace its former enemy and offer its own Blu-ray players.

Remember back in 2007 when the battle for high-definition disc was being waged between Sony’s Blu-ray and Toshiba’s HD-DVD? Although some of the echos of that battle can still be heard today (see a Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360, anyone?), Toshiba is apparently done feeling sorry for itself after formally putting the HD-DVD format out to pasture in early 2008: reports in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun have Toshiba gearing up to launch its own line of Blu-ray players, at least in Japan, perhaps in time for the end-of-year holiday season.

After surrendering the high-def disc battle to Sony, Toshiba had been formally working on wringing performance out of standard DVDs via improved upscaling technology, building improved high-definition televisions, as well as focusing on the delivery of high-def content via the Internet. But, according to the report, rising sales of Blu-ray products in Japan have persuaded the company to enter the Blu-ray market.

The report offers no information on whether Toshiba plans to enter the Blu-ray player market in other countries. However, additional competition from a major electronics manufacturer could potentially drive down prices on Blu-ray players, encouraging consumer adoption in the United States and other markets, where Blu-ray has yet to see the sort of explosive growth once predicted for the format.