This evening a story in the Hollywood Reporter has the HD forums (AVS and HDF) and blogs, even Digg, buzzing about Toshiba dropping HD DVD support. While this is a plausible action by Toshiba, my gut tells me the Hollywood Reporter story is bunk. Here are the reasons why:

1) First, as I reportered earlier today here, Mitsubishi, Maxell and Hitachi released a whole new line of HD DVD rewritiable media, I find it unlikely that this news would be releaed if Toshiba was thinking about bailing on the format;

2) Next, CH DVD is a DVD format developed in China for HDM in China. The format is based on HD DVD and its discs are reportedly compatible with the current crop of HD DVD players. Accordingly, if CH DVD was adopted as the national format for China, studios would *have* to produce titles in a format that is compatible with HD DVD players. Also, by bailing on HD DVD players Toshiba would be missing out on a massive market (the Chinese) if they dropped support;

3) Finally, The conclusion reached by the Hollywood Reporter is based on old news and was refuted by Toshiba. The article rehashes the essentially irrelevant announcment by Netflix that the rental service was dropping HD DVD (HDM including Blu-ray was only a small fraction of Netflix business anyway) and the “news” that Best Buy would keep HD DVD in stock but suggest Blu-ray to its customers. The Best Buy announcment is really not a change in policy as most of the tards that work at Best Buy are PS3 fanboyz anyway. Here’s the quote:

Toshiba is widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks, reliable industry sources say, after a rash of retail defections that followed Warner Home Video’s announcement in early January that it would support only the rival Blu-ray Disc format after May.

So? What is Toshiba’s response?

Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, vp of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products. “Based on its technological advancements, we continue to believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers, given the value and consistent quality inherent in our player offerings,” she said.

Then Toshiba goes on to state that they will study the market - a pretty fair response.

But she hinted that something’s in the air. “Given the market developments in the past month,” she said, “Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of our recent price reductions on all HD DVD players.”

That’s it … So Toshiba wants to study the market … ooooooo … they must be bailing on thier format!

People are going to read what they want. I think it was journalistically unsound for the Hollywood Reporter to spin the Netflix and Best Buy news this way, and I think Engadget looses a bit of credibility by reprinting forums posts. Regardless, I don’t see any indication in the news this week, or the response by Toshiba that they are about the drop HD DVD. I would not be surprised if I do, its a totally plausible move, but once again the BD camp is using everything to spread FUD about HD DVD.

Sphere: Related Content