CONSUMER
The bell tolls for HD DVD
15-02-2008
by Emmet Ryan
The war is over, or at least it seems that way as reports indicate that Toshiba is poised to abandoned HD DVD.
Speculation is rife that Toshiba, the main proponent of HD DVD, is on the verge of dropping the format. A report in Hollywood Reporter has emerged citing 'reliable sources' close to the HD DVD camp who indicate that Toshiba is set to cut its ties with the format in the coming weeks. For its part Toshiba has officially refuted these claims.
Warner Bros' defection to Sony's Blu-ray format earlier this year, after pledging its support to HD DVD as recently as August, appears to have been the killer blow in this long and brutal battle. The studio's decision to jump ship prompted online movie rental firm NetFlix and major US electronics retailer Best Buy to abandon the format and focus solely on Blu-ray.
The supporters of HD DVD, few as they are at this point, will hold out hope that there is no merit to this speculation but in truth the death of HD DVD has been inevitable for months. Recent sales figures did little to ignite a HD DVD revival as earlier this month market analyst firm Understanding and Solutions reported that Blu-Ray beat HD DVD in disc sales by a margin of three to one in Europe last year. The improved sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 in recent times have also hindered HD DVD adoption as the console's built-in Blu-ray drive helped Sony increase its lead in the market, presenting Toshiba with an even tougher task.
Should it turn out that Toshiba has indeed conceded defeat then Sony shall rejoice in this triumph, but one other such victory could utterly undo them. Over two decades Sony has waited for this day, a day when it could avenge the defeat of Betamax and claim the spoils of a format war, but at what cost? The heavy committal of Sony to Blu-ray in sealing this success could well turn out to be no more than a Pyrrhic victory.
As the Epirotes learned at Asculum, some battles are not worth winning, so Sony may find that having committed to defeating HD DVD it has left itself open to a more crushing blow from other formats. Digital downloads are on the increase and the public has yet to fully embrace Blu-ray, so in the long run the spoils of this war may not amount to much. For now though, the day belongs to Sony, tomorrow is another story.
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