Toshiba to delay HD DVD player launch

LordGamer · 12-13-2005, 09:43 AM

Here's some more news to those interested...

CNET News

By Reuters
Published: December 13, 2005, 4:54 AM PST

Toshiba said on Tuesday it will delay the year-end Japan launch of its next-generation HD DVD players to address copy protection issues, potentially undermining its advantage as the first supplier to put such machines on the market.

The Japanese company had said in September the domestic launch might be postponed until after December. A spokesman for Toshiba said it would continue to push for a U.S. launch in the first quarter of 2006, most likely some time between February and March.

Toshiba said in a statement it would not launch the products until the last details on copy protection management systems, called AACS, or advanced access content system, were finalized.

"I cannot say when the AACS issues will be resolved,'' the spokeswoman said. "But it's hard to think the launch in Japan will come after the U.S. launch.''

Toshiba and Sony, leading rival camps, have waged a three-year battle to have their different standards adopted for the new DVDs, which promise much greater capacity for high-definition movies. Toshiba, along with NEZCZ and Sanyo Electric, has been promoting HD DVD, while Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial, the maker of Panasonic brand products, have been developing a technology known as Blu-ray.

The Blu-ray DVD group said in November it planned to roll out a high-definition disc format in spring 2006, and that members of the consortium led by Sony would unveil specific launch plans at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

As every day passes, it seems Toshiba has more obstacles and issues.

strawberry · 12-13-2005, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordGamer

As every day passes, it seems Toshiba has more obstacles and issues.

Indeed. 2006 is going to be a very interesting year for we techgeeks.

bayards · 12-13-2005, 12:52 PM

A poll on a German HDTV website is asking the simple question - will you be buying Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

Currently 64% Blu-ray and 36% HD-DVD....

H

LordGamer · 12-13-2005, 12:53 PM

Hey strawberry.

Funny, I'm always able to get a post from you when I create one of these threads. Did you get your Blu-Ray 4 Life jacket from Sony yet? Mines a little small.

I might get attacked by HD-DVD supporters (then again, are there any remaining), but I just don't see why Toshiba is bothering anymore. Not that the nail is in the coffin, but nothing has been playing in Toshiba's favor for several months.

Sony has the major backers, the bigger format, the production, currently on time schedule, etc. It's like for every positive thing for Sony, there is one negative for Toshiba.

---
Side note, berry are you enjoying your Xbox 360?

strawberry · 12-14-2005, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordGamer

Hey strawberry.

Funny, I'm always able to get a post from you when I create one of these threads. Did you get your Blu-Ray 4 Life jacket from Sony yet? Mines a little small.

I might get attacked by HD-DVD supporters (then again, are there any remaining), but I just don't see why Toshiba is bothering anymore. Not that the nail is in the coffin, but nothing has been playing in Toshiba's favor for several months.

Sony has the major backers, the bigger format, the production, currently on time schedule, etc. It's like for every positive thing for Sony, there is one negative for Toshiba.

---
Side note, berry are you enjoying your Xbox 360?

Yeah- you know you can count on me every time a bit of news comes out. I'm really not cheerleading for BR or anything- I'm just trying to remember the last time I saw the term HD-DVD in a headline with anything positive attached to it. I guess it's hard not to root for BR a little bit since we'll both be BR playback owners by default via the PS3- but more than anything, I'd still like to see some sort of unification happen so this whole debacle can just end.

By the way, I'm hearing rumblings through the rumor mill that a Japanese news source is claiming there will be an HD-DVD version (presumably for movie playback only) of the 360, possibly as early as next summer. I know Gates and Allard had both alluded to the same possibility earlier this year- but they both made it sound as though it would be much further down the road. There's nothing firm on this one yet- and, obviously, MS isn't commenting on it- but there may be more to come. I find it curious that a Japanese news source would be leaking such a story considering they're a long ways away from Redmond, WA- and I can't help but wonder if the fact that MS is allowing this rumor to stay afloat isn't somehow tied to the lackluster 360 sales numbers we're hearing about in Japan.....more on this later.

As for my 360 experience thus far- I'm freaking loving it. COD2 and Condemned have definitely taken my life over. I'm happy as a pig in slop!

strawberry · 12-15-2005, 07:07 AM

Well- this morning it looks like MS officially shot down the rumor that they are planning to do anything that would combine the 360 with an HD-DVD device any time soon:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/675/...0&RSSid=675855

LordGamer · 12-15-2005, 12:42 PM

Yep, I heard the rumblings the last day or so and read the IGN's article this morning. I'm really glad MS made some official statement, because I was getting tired of people just pulling stuff out their @ss regarding Xbox 360 and HD-DVD.

Personally, I don't believe we will ever see an HD-DVD Xbox 360. If we did though, it wouldn't be for several years, much closer to the end of Xbox 360's cycle and would strictly be for playing HD movies (ie. no HD-DVD based games).

For MS, it was in their best interest to stick with the current DVD format. The extra space isn't as needed for games and neither a unified format or clear winner (*cough* Blu-Ray *cough*) has been declared. Plus, it's a moot point any how, seeing as neither camp would of been ready for a fall 2005 launch. It made perfect sense for Sony, simply because Blu-Ray is their format.

While I don't really care who wins (Toshiba or Sony), as you stated, I will be supporting Blu-Ray by default with PS3. And seeing as I will be getting a PS3 and probably having to drop a fairly pretty penny on it, doesn't make much sense for me to pick up an HD-DVD player as well (not to mention, Sony has all the major studios that release movies and shows I care about).

It just doesn't seem good for Toshi right now. Their biggest advantage was an earlier release, but that has basically been shot down.

µCOM-4 · 12-29-2005, 11:03 PM

"There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

It would be smart to keep quiet about any future HD DVD version of 360.

12-13-2005, 09:43 AM	#1
LordGamer Lord of Gaming Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,795	Toshiba to delay HD DVD player launch Here's some more news to those interested... CNET News By Reuters Published: December 13, 2005, 4:54 AM PST Toshiba said on Tuesday it will delay the year-end Japan launch of its next-generation HD DVD players to address copy protection issues, potentially undermining its advantage as the first supplier to put such machines on the market. The Japanese company had said in September the domestic launch might be postponed until after December. A spokesman for Toshiba said it would continue to push for a U.S. launch in the first quarter of 2006, most likely some time between February and March. Toshiba said in a statement it would not launch the products until the last details on copy protection management systems, called AACS, or advanced access content system, were finalized. "I cannot say when the AACS issues will be resolved,'' the spokeswoman said. "But it's hard to think the launch in Japan will come after the U.S. launch.'' Toshiba and Sony, leading rival camps, have waged a three-year battle to have their different standards adopted for the new DVDs, which promise much greater capacity for high-definition movies. Toshiba, along with NEZCZ and Sanyo Electric, has been promoting HD DVD, while Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial, the maker of Panasonic brand products, have been developing a technology known as Blu-ray. The Blu-ray DVD group said in November it planned to roll out a high-definition disc format in spring 2006, and that members of the consortium led by Sony would unveil specific launch plans at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. As every day passes, it seems Toshiba has more obstacles and issues. __________________ LordGamer Profile - George Carlin, R.I.P. 06.22.08 HD Qualifications... -- Westinghouse 47" 1080p LCD (LVM-47w1) -- Scientific Atlanta HD Receiver & DVR (8300HD), Comcast -- Sony Playstation 3 -- Microsoft Xbox 360

12-13-2005, 12:53 PM	#4
LordGamer Lord of Gaming Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,795	Hey strawberry. Funny, I'm always able to get a post from you when I create one of these threads. Did you get your Blu-Ray 4 Life jacket from Sony yet? Mines a little small. I might get attacked by HD-DVD supporters (then again, are there any remaining), but I just don't see why Toshiba is bothering anymore. Not that the nail is in the coffin, but nothing has been playing in Toshiba's favor for several months. Sony has the major backers, the bigger format, the production, currently on time schedule, etc. It's like for every positive thing for Sony, there is one negative for Toshiba. --- Side note, berry are you enjoying your Xbox 360? __________________ LordGamer Profile - George Carlin, R.I.P. 06.22.08 HD Qualifications... -- Westinghouse 47" 1080p LCD (LVM-47w1) -- Scientific Atlanta HD Receiver & DVR (8300HD), Comcast -- Sony Playstation 3 -- Microsoft Xbox 360

12-15-2005, 07:07 AM	#6
strawberry HD is the Lord. Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 1,635	Well- this morning it looks like MS officially shot down the rumor that they are planning to do anything that would combine the 360 with an HD-DVD device any time soon: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/675/...0&RSSid=675855 __________________ Home Theater Setup ISF-Calibrated Hitachi 57S500 HDTV Denon 2807 AVR 7.1 JBL Venue Series Speaker System Toshiba HD-A1 PS3 60 Gig Xbox 360 Premium Moxi BMC 9022 DVR Logitech Harmony 880

12-15-2005, 12:42 PM	#7
LordGamer Lord of Gaming Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,795	Yep, I heard the rumblings the last day or so and read the IGN's article this morning. I'm really glad MS made some official statement, because I was getting tired of people just pulling stuff out their @ss regarding Xbox 360 and HD-DVD. Personally, I don't believe we will ever see an HD-DVD Xbox 360. If we did though, it wouldn't be for several years, much closer to the end of Xbox 360's cycle and would strictly be for playing HD movies (ie. no HD-DVD based games). For MS, it was in their best interest to stick with the current DVD format. The extra space isn't as needed for games and neither a unified format or clear winner (cough Blu-Ray cough) has been declared. Plus, it's a moot point any how, seeing as neither camp would of been ready for a fall 2005 launch. It made perfect sense for Sony, simply because Blu-Ray is their format. While I don't really care who wins (Toshiba or Sony), as you stated, I will be supporting Blu-Ray by default with PS3. And seeing as I will be getting a PS3 and probably having to drop a fairly pretty penny on it, doesn't make much sense for me to pick up an HD-DVD player as well (not to mention, Sony has all the major studios that release movies and shows I care about). It just doesn't seem good for Toshi right now. Their biggest advantage was an earlier release, but that has basically been shot down. __________________ LordGamer Profile - George Carlin, R.I.P. 06.22.08 HD Qualifications... -- Westinghouse 47" 1080p LCD (LVM-47w1) -- Scientific Atlanta HD Receiver & DVR (8300HD), Comcast -- Sony Playstation 3 -- Microsoft Xbox 360

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12-13-2005, 12:52 PM	#3
bayards A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 12	A poll on a German HDTV website is asking the simple question - will you be buying Blu-ray or HD-DVD. Currently 64% Blu-ray and 36% HD-DVD.... H

12-29-2005, 11:03 PM	#8
µCOM-4 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 699	"There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player." It would be smart to keep quiet about any future HD DVD version of 360.