Toshiba to exit HD DVD market

http://checkoutblog.com/entries/2008/2/15/wal_mart_chooses_a_hi_def_platform.aspx

Seems Wallmart is dropping HD-DVD in June, hope i can get them cheaply so i can build up a good collection of perfectly good HD movies.

 

Me neither, but the fact is that these corporations can save tons of money by cutting on manufacturing and distribution costs, so they're going to support this scheme for sure.

One of the "masterminds" behind DoD is no other than Bill Gates, which comes as no surprise since apparently the Xbox division (and the 6 billion gone to waste with it) was just a trojan horse so Microsoft can get the higher ground on the upcoming download market.

 

What a Tw*t he is. I sure hope it fals through but some how I can't see it

Yakumo

 

Sucks!

But I bet the remaining HDDVD stuff will at least get cheap. Just get the stuff you can on HDDVD, the rest on Bluray or something.

 

HDDVD players also play standard DVDs upscailed, right? Might be worth getting one just for that.

Yakumo

 

Agreed.

Also, the 360s HD-DVD add-on should become cheap for a while until it runs out, making it a collectible

 

2.0 is going to be the final profile, supposedly. Especially now HD-DVD is going to vanish.

You can get upscaling HDMI phillips DVD players here in the US for $45. They also play Div-X movies. So, unless that is unique to here, or the HD-DVD players drop in price to almost nothing to clear them, you'll not want to waste the money IMO.

 

Well, to be honest I've never even see a store selling HD-DVDs downhere I didn't even know that they were released in Japan. So it shows no effort at all was put in to promoting the format or at least in Japan.

Hmm, 45 USD is very cheap. That's only about 5000 yen I think.

Yakumo

 

Yeah, it works well too. I got one a while back. It has component out too, and optical etc. It doesn't upscale DVDs over component as that is not allowed apparently, but you can always rip a DVD and burn it without macrovision, then it will upscale over component no problem. The older versions can be hacked in firmware to allow upscaling regardless of macrovision, so I am hoping this one gets cracked eventually too.

I understand their reasoning, but no one is going to use upscaling over component for pirating DVDs. The industry is about 4 steps behind the 'scene' at all times it seems.

 

I think the normal 360 over HDMI/VGA upscales too. PS3 too maybe?

 

the 360 does upscale DVDs over VGA, but not component.

 

Toshiba announcing the exit from HD DVD seems to have occurred really swiftly, but given that support for the format has declined in favor of Blu-ray it was only a matter of time. I seem to recall the VHS & Betamax, or even DAT versus Mini-disc wars lasted a hell of a lot longer!

How long before the 360 HD DVD add-on becomes as useful as a Floppy drive on a PC or a Zip Disk on a Dreamcast lol - words spoken in jest btw! ;-)

 

i'm pretty sure it DOES upscale over component.

 

does not(hdmi/vga only).
same goes for ps3(hdmi exclusive ;-)).

 

there are sound commercial reasons involved, it could be, but it's not supported.

 

The 360's HD-DVD Drive reminds me of the 32x - I know they are not the same, but for the people that adapted the technology- we were satisfied, yet the peripheral was short lived.

R.I.P

 

I d have bought one if the price wasn't so high - and I don't really need it either.

 

I bet Toshiba is pissed the 360 didn't just START OUT with HDDVD. Then game devs wouldn't be hitting the size wall either. I guess it was too expensive then though.

 

Or MS weren't willing to add that cost in the same way Sony were with Blu-Ray. MS won't really gain anything from picking a format other than to bit a dampener on the competition.

 

ultimately however, it might seem to backfire, considering that many are allegedely purchasing PS3 units for their video playback capabilities.