Samsung had been pondering a dual-format player since September 2005, but 2007 finally saw the company launch the machine, besting LG's effort by incorporating iHD as well as BD Java.
LG's Super BH100 Blu-ray/HD DVD player: one machine, two formats
2007 also saw both the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps presenting statistics that they claimed showed their respective formats were the consumers' choice. Typically, the HD DVD Promotional Group focused on numbers that showed more standalone HD DVD players were in circulation than Blu-ray players, ignoring the PS3. But it didn't ignore Sony's console when publishing the average number of discs bought by each HD player and console owner, which again cast HD DVD in the brighter light.
That may have helped persuade studios Paramount and Dreamworks Animation to focus solely on HD DVD at the expense of Blu-ray. Paramount, like Warner, had up til August 2007 supported both formats, but Warner, because of its leading market share, was the real prize, and both camps began courting it even more solicitously.
Venturer's SHD7000 HD DVD player: low cost
What mattered most, though, were sales of the PS3, which far outweighed sales of either HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc players, but were creating pull-through for BD, to the extent that software sales were tilted in favour of Blu-ray by as much as 3:1.
When Warner was first rumoured to be on the verge of going exclusively Blu-ray, while it denied it had come to a decision, it did say it was watching the Christmas sales figures closely.
Then, in January 2008, Warner declared for Blu-ray. The HD DVD Promotional Group immediately cancelled its annual CES announcement and pondered its future. HD DVD player sales slumped in the US after the Warner revelation, though they picked up some later, thanks to aggressive discounting on Toshiba's part.
In the UK, retail chain Woolworths soon said it would go Blu-ray exclusively in its stores, and on the other side of the pond, Best Buy, Netflix and Wal-Mart did the same.
If there was a way forward, Toshiba couldn't see it, and on 19 February 2008, it formally announced it was ceasing production of HD DVD players and recorders.
The HD format war was, to all intents and purposes, over.
Obituary: HD DVD 2002-2008
COMMENTS
About time...
About time too...
I'm one of the, many?, people who had decided to wait until the war was over before buying a new player...
So, now to find a decent Blu-Ray player...
The point to all of this?
Can I ask whats the point in half of these spats?
Does it really matter if someone else doesnt agree that blueray/bd/hd-dvd/cd/tape/porn is as awesome as you think it is?
Do you really think that by constructing your point of view in various ways that all of a sudden people are going to stop and go "ahh he is right what a smart little geek this one is"
pointless flame fuelled by an emptiness elsewhere in life Id imagine.
In 5 years time we will have another media format and another 5 years after that, its called evolution.
@Anne van der Bom
How old are you ??? ... I thought I was pathetic coz I'm bolding and working Saturday nites (should have quoted the work part ... getting bored and reading el Reg rather) but I can go reassured seeing that some speak of a wonderful shopping experience, where do you go Harrods (still)? or like most of us HMV & Virgin ... or online, even eBay maybe. And you always go to concerts because listening to music at home is not that a thrilling experience.
I thought the unpacking of a DVD was as the latex wrapping of the bishop e.g. an interesting but lame moment compared with what is supposed to follow.
And yes iTunes Store does not sell because the tune does not come all blistery and stickerish. Oh you bet that iTunes will fail on the movie renting front for the same reason.
Here is an other silly idea: Virgin is launching a new "HDD wrapping" scheme so it can be nervously unwrapped when home, for the really nostalgic ones they may even offer a "burn as you buy",(I've always been amazed by people looking at the recorded face of a CD/DVD as if they'd be able to see/listen to what's on it) and btw I'm proud to announce el Reg is now shipping its daily blistered print copy (for a fee) will you buy it?
But don't worry the HDD wotsit comes with the ability to burn the film 7 times ... so plenty of plastic to waste.
Re: @Michael Compton
I'm not sure what you mean that layers are easier to add to HD-DVD than BD. I still have to see any HD-DVD DL in the market.
BD-RE are pretty cheap nowadays, the price has dropped a lot, single layer discs are going for just over 10 Dollars each here in the States and double layers (50GB) are still expensive but price will drop and quickly (just a year ago one BD-RE SL was 24 dollars).
Also, in the works is a 4L disc with 200GB capacity.
I'm a professional photographer and disc capacity is the thing I'm most interested in and that's why I backed BD since the start. HD-DVD simply was never an option to me.
BD DL = 50GB, HD-DVD DL=30GB, that's 20GB difference: HUGE!
Luca
