Only 2000 HD DVD players have been sold in Australia
The next-generation HD DVD format failed partly because of a lack of interest and external competition from digital downloads, according to Toshiba Australia, but what does it mean for the future of HD?
Mark Whittard, general manager of Toshiba Australia said the penetration of both HD DVD and Blu-ray was way below expectations, and that the withdrawal of Warner Brothers from Toshiba's camp lead the company to cut its losses.
"We believe it's the right decision. It's the most responsible decision for consumers, retailers and for the company," said Whittard.
He reiterated the Japanese head office's statement that Toshiba would continue to be committed to products such as the Cell processor, NAND flash memory and other HD-enabling technologies.
Whittard emphasised that even though he expected sales of HD DVD players to end in April, there was nothing wrong with the equipment and it could still be used to upscale standard DVDs. The players also have the potential to offer digital downloads in the future.
Though Whittard was unable to guarantee this feature would be available on existing HD DVD players, he said he players "are capable (of playing them) … and this was demonstrated at CES".
According to market analysts GfK, only 2,000 HD DVD players have been sold in Australia, compared to 7,000 standalone Sony players and a massive 188,000 Sony PlayStation 3 consoles.
Whittard said customers who have purchased a HD DVD player will continue to receive support from Toshiba for up to five years, but that the ongoing release of movies "was up to the studios".
Gfk's Simon Perks said while digital downloads will have an affect on Blu-ray it won't be immediate: "It will affect sales in the longterm and not the short term -- the next three to five years. The technology to make it efficient or easy for customers is still a long way off."
He said that despite Toshiba's expectations, sales of HD disks are higher now than at the same point for DVD. Following the same model, sales of Blu-ray are expected to increase tenfold by the end of 2010 -- or 35,000 units a week. At its peak, Blu-ray sold 10,500 in the week leading up to Christmas 2007 -- up from 3,000 to 4,000 -- Gfk figures suggest.
At present, Blu-ray only accounts for 0.05 per cent of software sales, and Perks says it may take another year for the disks to make a dent on DVD sales.
Have you bought HD DVD recently? How does this decision affect you? Let us know your thoughts below.
Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!
Zerocool
21/02/2008 10:09 AM
PS3 Here We Come
Report offensive content
SimonJ
21/02/2008 10:43 AM
Thanks the Gods I bought a PS3, regardless of its video player.
Report offensive content
fiddickc
21/02/2008 05:12 PM
Whew!! Lucky I got my PS3 for free when I bought my Bravia LCD last month!! I feel sorry for the people who actually bought an HDDVD player.
Report offensive content
boatsmart519
21/02/2008 05:39 PM
yes i bought top of line HDDVD toshiba they also promised 10 free dvd's didnt' get them either gues i will have to start again pissed off
Report offensive content
adslnerd@bigpond.net.au
21/02/2008 06:07 PM
You would think people would learn that with technology the waiting game is very important otherwise you get stuck with antiquated hardware which is useless and cost a fortune - for what reason - to keep up with the jones's I knew HD-DVD would flop and gladly I have one of the original PS3's so no need to worry. For consumers it means cheaper blu-ray prices for hardware and movies and maybe even games as it becomes more popular. Consumer's decide the winner not Toshiba. They have all had their say and the verdict is final.
Report offensive content
serious14
22/02/2008 03:43 AM
I paid off my lay-by of an HD XE-1 from JB Hi Fi yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. I have a collection of 50 HD DVD's as it is, I'll be stocking up on a lot more during the coming fire sales (Amazon already has 50% off a majority of titles), and due to some firmware trickery, I now have a region free upscaling DVD player that _also_ plays RCE DVD's from other regions. 1080p/24hz output, DTS-HD MA, Dolby True HD - what more could I want?? Oh yeah, to laugh at those who call HD DVD "obsolete" - I'm watching a movie on it right now, I've already watched Star Wars upscaled (and it looks amazing), and quite frankly, it's not going to stop working anytime soon. 2 year warranty, AND 5 years post sales support from Toshiba?? Gosh darn...... Got the German Terminator 2 HD DVD pre-ordered as well....... let's see the "OMG LOLZ PS3 ftw" fanboys watch that one.
Report offensive content
finchy
22/02/2008 07:55 AM
I think a lot of resellers read the signs of a victory for blu ray and offered deals on hd dvd players to clear their stock. I decided on a hd dvd player. The upscaling of SD DVD was impressive enough for me to purchase a EP-35 and at £180 with 8 free hd dvd's it was a decent end of line deal. I think those with hd dvd players will be enjoying their (no doubt extensive) dvd collection on their hd players for a while at least. I couldn't justify spending the money on a blu ray machine (especially to the wife!) I suppose it wont be long until the prices of blu ray machines and discs start to drop, until then I will be enjoying the upscaling through hdmi.
Report offensive content
Snowspader
22/02/2008 06:02 PM
yeh i wish i could watch the german terminator 2 ........ i guess u win, o, wait....
Report offensive content
simosyd
24/02/2008 10:42 PM
I have about 20 HD DVD's on order from Amazon in the states, I bought my player 3 weeks ago, not too worried as I didn't outlay much on it. At this stage I see no point moving to Blu Ray until version 2.0 players are released (end of year) otherwise I will have another out of date player on my hands!
Report offensive content
ngm
24/02/2008 11:12 PM
I recently purchased the base model HD DVD player and I could not be happier. This thing upscales standard DVDs so well, I struggle to tell the difference between HD and SD discs now using this Toshiba. People, forget the HD side of things, rush out and buy one of these before they are all gone and you can enjoy HD quality discs at DVD prices. Blu ray is ridiculously expensive and this baby will get 99% of the result at a fraction of the cost. I am so impressed, i am about to buy he top of the line player (as well ), which was recently voted the best new disc player on the market bar none, I believe for the second year in a row. I think i should be able to pick one up for a steal and continue buying DVDs that look so good upscaled I wont need to bother with the overpriced blu ray market for years. Also, beware buying blu ray player this year 2008, they are about to change the specifications again, and they may not be able to play the newer discs in the near future. 2009 should be safer.
Report offensive content
daviddsailor
25/02/2008 01:28 PM
I hedged my bets last year and brought the LG BH100 which plays both formats. I waited for sale HD's on Amazon and others and never paid more than Au$25 landed, some cheaper. Same with Bluray discs. Now Amazon US has a sale of HD discs and I brought 9 for Au$179 to my door. 3 local DVD hire shops have both formats for hire and one is only Au$1.95 on Tuesdays. So I am very happy and can only look forward to the insanely expensive local discs coming down in price. Why would anyone pay Au$40-50 for a DVD? BH100 works like a charm on all formats.
Report offensive content
Toshiba r Twats
25/02/2008 06:14 PM
With the current exchange rate, just order a US PS3. US Blu Rays are superior. Firmware is automatically updated, cheap as chips and it plays games too (region free). No brainer really. Oh and it upscales dvds - just like any HD DVD player does.
Report offensive content
Mayhem2408
28/02/2008 06:32 AM
I have about 10 HD-DVD titles and the XBox 360 HD-DVD addon. works perfectly and I have no intention of going blu-ray anytime soon. Way to expensive and still lacking many features that HD-DVD has to offer. Probably wait until Blu-ray profile 3.0 is release. Maybe by then it will be able to complete with the feature set of HD-DVD.
Report offensive content
Ted
08/03/2008 10:49 AM
Like others I bought the top end Toshiba player after the price drop and have been picking up the discs at the fire sales. Even bought a cheap back up player in case the first dies. Not keen on Bluray because of the anticompetitive Region coding which would require me to also buy a US and European player if I wanted to buy discs not available here. Hopefully someone will work out a way to crack this coding soon and make Bluray worthwhile. Very hapy with the Toshiba and its upscaling feature which makes ordinary DVDs almost HD. Just hope it lasts long enough to justify my spend
Report offensive content
sean
03/04/2008 03:17 AM
Dont know what you HD lovers are on about. Yes you have a pile of HD DVD"s, but the point is that no one will be making any more of them. Once you get bored of what you have then you wont be able to get anything new for the player and into the cupboard it goes... Think ahead guys.
Report offensive content
electricimages
19/04/2008 11:34 AM
It would be nice if the manufacturers fought amongst themselves first and settled on a format standard before another repeat of the Beta/VHS and now HD DVD/Blu-ray wars. Their race to the bank with our money leaves all too many consumers as financial casualties.
Report offensive content
Yukyukyuk
21/05/2008 05:56 PM
REGION CODING - Enough said. nowall you Blu-ray loves can pay thru the nose for local releases and not be able to import. Oh you are so smart!
Report offensive content