Toshiba Officially Kills Off HD DVD

Blu-ray finally emerged as the victorious HD format on Tuesday when Toshiba announced it was pulling the plug on HD DVD for good.

After years of conflict between rival formats HD DVD and Blu-ray, the so-called HD format war officially ended on Tuesday when its major backer, Toshiba, bowed out of the race permanently. The announcement came on the heels of widespread rumors and news reports that the format was done for, which have been building for weeks.

In an exceptionally brief press release, Toshiba stated that it had “completed a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and as a result of recent market developments, the company has decided to discontinue sales and marketing of HD DVD players.”

"While we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, based on its technological advancements and the value and quality inherent in our player offerings, recent market developments have led us to the decision to choose new and different paths,” said Yoshi Uchiyama, Group Vice President of Toshiba’s Digital A/V Marketing Group.

Toshiba made no promise to enter the Blu-ray market, and instead only reaffirmed its commitment to standard DVD discs.