HD DVD Nearing End?

Could it be game over for HD DVD? We here at HDDVDFreak feel like of late it has been nothing but negative news to report. Now comes word from industry sources Toshiba could be killing the format altogether some time shortly.

The Hollywood Reporter, citing sources, said Toshiba is "widely expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD format sometime in the coming weeks...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."

Speculation suggests substantial losses related to HD DVD hardware production, dips in HD DVD disc sales and defects from the HD DVD camp may have made Toshiba finally cash in its chips. Toshiba denied it was planning to end HD DVD, but did say it is continuing  "to study the market impact."

Microsoft Cuts Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Price

It looks as if Microsoft has shaved a little off of the price tag for its Xbox 360 HD DVD Player accessory. It was reported this morning by Major Nelson, aka Larry Hryb of Microsoft, the company was dropping the retail price from $179.99 to $129.99 and that the drop was immediately effective in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

There was no immediate word on why the price drop was made, but one has to think with the recent Toshiba HD DVD player price drops Microsoft is just trying to stay up with the pack.

HD DVD Sales Regain Ground

HD DVD continues to see a slow rebound in the public spotlight as new sales figures from NPD Group show a rebound in sales following a bad week immediately after CES. This is according to a news report published in Video Business.

The report shows HD DVD hardware sales totals accounted for around a third of HD set-top unit sales for the week ending Jan. 19, according to Video Business. This is a sharp upkick from the previous week, when HD DVD player sales only amounted to seven percent.

An NPD analyst told Video Business he felt the change in position was likely due to "sensitivity to pricing". This would tie in with a recent move Toshiba made to cut prices of its HD DVD players.

Samsung Reveals New Dual Format Player

Samsung is betting not everyone is ready to go one next generation optical disc format over the other yet so it is showing off at CES a new dual format disc player called the BD-UP5500. It is slated to be available sometime in the latter part of the year.

This disc player is noted by Samsung for its ability to support "the latest BD-Java and HD DVD interactivity available." You'll find the BD-UP5500 is HDMI 1.3 compliant, looks pretty sharp and is quite slim (2.3 inches).

Get more details on this dual format playback Samsung player after the jump.

Toshiba Pushes Ahead with New HD DVD Players

Toshiba is proceeding with the roll out of its next generation of HD DVD players even as it struggles to deal with the news of Warner Bros. fazing out production of HD DVD videos. The CE manufacturer unveiled at CES four new third generation HD DVD players, all available now and ranging in price from around $300 to around $800.

Toshiba said its third generation family "starts with the entry level HD-A3 player featuring 1080i output capability. The other two new models, Toshiba's HD-A30 and HD-A35, output 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080p), the highest HD signal currently available. Both models are capable of outputting signals at 1080p/24 frames per second so consumers can enjoy movies in their native frame rate. The HD-A30 and HD-A35 models also feature "REGZA® Link" (HDMI™-CEC), allowing two-way control between the HD DVD player and a TV through an HDMI connection.

All Toshiba HD DVD players also feature twin video processors and advanced audio to deliver an immersive home theater experience with features such as picture-in-picture video and audio commentary. Thanks to the Ethernet port and flash memory built into every Toshiba HD DVD player, movie lovers also can enjoy the benefits of Web-enabled network connectivity. Plus, Toshiba's third generation players have a new slim design cabinet that is approximately ¼-inch slimmer than second generation models."

Catch the full Toshiba press release after the jump.

Toshiba Release 3rd Generation of HD DVD Players

Toshiba officially release their 3^rd generation HD DVD player lineup at Cedia. The new models, the HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 are bit thinner than their predecessors and support 1080p24, except for the A3 that is limited to 1080i.

The A30 and A35 will also support CE-Link (HDMI-CEC), allowing two-way control between the HD DVD player and a TV using a simple HDMI connection.

The A3 ($299.99) and A35 ($499.99) are expected in October and the A30 ($399.99) is expected this month.

Source

Onkyo to Release an HD DVD Player this Fall

Onkyo will release their first HD DVD player in the US this fall. The DV-HD805 has an HDMI1.3a connection and support TrueHD and DTS-HD. The player can also do a full HD 1080p24.

An Ethernet port is also provided to download firmware updates and internet content from movies.

With an $899 pricetag, the DV-HD805 won't be the top seller compared to low budget Toshiba players.

Source

New HD DVD Recorder From Toshiba

It looks like Toshiba is full of energy when it's time to think about new HD DVD products. The company just unleashed a new VARDIA hybrid HD DVD / HDD recorder in Japan. The new 600GB RD-A600 and 300GB RD-A300 feature a pair of digital hi-vision HD tuners, Firewire, and HDMI and can write to HD DVD-R and DVD-RAM/R/RW media in addition to their respective hard disks. Impressive? Sony, Panasonic and Samsung should be looking at this product.

How much would you be ready to pay for a product like this? What about ¥200,000 (about $1,643) for the RD-A600? That sounds like a reasonable price for a first generation recorder like this one. The North American model will probably be even lower. The RD-A300 costs $199 less and the only difference is the hard disk size.

Availabilty: Later this year…

No Cheap HD DVD Player From WalMart

The Taiwan based company, Fuh Yuan, which said last week they were going to manufacture 2 Million HD DVD players for WalMart had to make a retraction. They are now saying that Walmart inquired about their ability to "provide a schedule" along with "cost and quantity" details for us to evaluate.

Source

Cheap HD Player From Walmart on its Way

Walmart recently pass an order for 2 million Chinese made HD players. The manufacturer will be a Taiwan based company called Fuh Yuan in cooperation with TDK.

The problem? No one can tell right now if they are going to be a Blu-ray or HD DVD player. According to Akihabaranews, the press release says Blu-ray HD DVD!?! Will keep you posted when more information is available.

The players have an expected retail price of $299 and should be available before the end of 2008.

Buy a HD DVD Player Now for Less Than $200

The HD DVD group has a nice offer for people who want to buy a HD DVD Player from Toshiba. From now to the end of July, if you buy a Toshiba HD DVD player, you will receive 5 HD DVD movies for free, a $100 value at amazon prices.

You can buy he HD-D1 (first generation) at $290.41 right now and the HD-A2 (second generation) is available for $329.99 [affiliate links]. This is still over $200 you would say but if you claim you free movies, your HD DVD player will have cost you only $190 or $229.99 depending on the model you choose. Interested? I am!

I didn't thought we could break the $200 mark so soon! What is the trick? There is no trick but the choice of movies is limited to the following titles:

Apollo 13, Casablanca, Four Brothers, The Rundownm U-571, Seabiscuit, Constantine, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Blazing Saddles, The Perfect Storm, The Chronicles of Riddick, Dukes of Hazard, Sky Captain and the Wolrd of Tomorrow, U2: Rattle and Hum and We Were Soldiers.

Here's also the list of HD DVD players from Toshiba you can buy to be eligible to the offer: HD-A1, HD-XA1, HD-D1, HD-A2, HD-A2W, HD-XA2, HD-D2, HD-A20. This is pretty much all the Toshiba HD DVD players available right now…

This is beating the hell out of the Blu-ray camp who still have a hard time catching up HD DVD on player prices.

100 000 HD DVD Players Sold

The North American HD-DVD Promotional Group is now claiming that sales of set-top HD DVD players have finally hit the 100k mark. The number may not sound that impressive at first but when you look closely, the number does not count the HD DVD drive add-on for the Xbox-360 nor any HD DVD drive or burner. 100 000 stand alone HD DVD players is very surprising and certainly unexpected.

We almost believe Sony when they said they have won the war. With this great news, HD DVD is back in the race. Let’s see if they can catch up on the movie releases and sales again!

Source

Firmware Update 1.5 for Toshiba’s HD DVD Players

Toshiba released a firmware update for many of their HD DVD Players currently on the market. If you are the owner of a HD-XA2, HD-A20, HD-A2, HD-A2W, or HD-D2, the firmware update 1.5 is for you. You need to connect to the internet using the Ethernet port to make the update or call Toshiba ((800) 319-6684) to get the update disc directly from them.

Why do I need this update you say? Here a Q&A released by Toshiba to answer this question:

HD DVD Player for Less Than $200?

According to VideoBusiness, retailers are still upbeat about HD DVD, and some say they are anticipating a $100 price cut from Toshiba on its second-generation players. Retailers are saying we should see this price drop within 30 to 60 days.  That would bring the Toshiba’s entry model down to as low as $399.

Sources also mentioned to Videobusiness that we should see Toshiba’s HD-A2 to reach the $299 price point by fall of this year.

Toshiba didn’t comment on those price cuts but we can believe that retailers are getting these information from their representative that are probably doing everything to entertain retailers’ enthusiasm around the HD format.

What doesn't make sense here is that you can already buy the HD-A2 for $366 at Amazon [affiliate]. This is already a $133 price drop from the retail price. If Toshiba cuts the retail price by $100 or $200 by fall, and Amazon adds another rebate on top of that, could we see an HD DVD player for less than $200? This could be a deadly hit for Blu-ray.

Source

Amazon [affiliate]

3X DVD: HD DVD Camp Secret Weapon?

All the hype goes around the Blu-ray camp these days, but HD DVD supporters may hold a secret weapon against their enemy!

The 3X DVD spec is part of the HD DVD format and is apparently only compatible with HD DVD players. But the HD DVD discs themselves are physically exactly the same as standard red-laser DVDs.

Throw in a software upgrade to support high definition content, HD DVD's UDF 2.5 file structure and AACS and you have a way to deliver HDTV content on a 9.4 GB DVD. By using newer encoding technologies like MPEG-4 and VC-1 and/or lowering the resolution to say, 720p, full length movies easily fit on a standard DVD.

Toshiba'S HD-XA2 Reviewed

While the first generation Toshiba players were little more than “specific-use” PCs, this 2nd generation player utilizes dedicated HD DVD circuitry, resulting in much faster operation. Slow start up was a major complaint of both buyers and reviewers.

The new player’s startup time from power “off” to “on” and “booted up” has been reduced to a tolerable 35 seconds. It takes just 22 additional seconds to load and begin playing an HD DVD disc. If you leave a disc in the player and shut it off, powering back up and playing the HD DVD disc will commence in 45 seconds.

The HD-XA2’s biggest improvement compared to 1st generation HD DVD players as well as competing Blu-ray units is its signal processing abilities, converting native 480i content to enhanced or high definition output (480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p).

According to HDGuru, Toshiba managed to release a more decent HD DVD Player this time. The loading time of the first generation was simply unacceptable. Still, almost a minute before you can start to watch a movie is even longer than Windows XP!

Bottom line the new HD-XA2 HD DVD player from Toshiba is a good player and you should be pleased with what you will get.

More details about the Toshiba through this Amazon affiliate link. The product is on sale at $809.99! This is $490 discount?!

Toshiba ships 2G HD-DVD Player

"Yes, got A2 from BB today! Had my A1 in to their repair facility for over a month and they said not repairable, so gave me exchange for A2. I tried to get A2 before lunch today but had not come in yet!

Behold, got phone call from BB at 1PM and UPS just delivered the first A2 shipment so dashed over and picked it up.

I know there are many questions, and I only had chance to do quick test but so far it's much better than A1 for performance. I checked out the first problem title for most folks with E.O.Days and played TrueHD track flawless not lag, pause or hiccups at all. Then checked out some of KK just to be sure it works and just fine with it."[AVSForum]

Toshiba began the shipment of their second generation HD DVD player. This user from AVSforum just received the HD-A2 player. If most of the annoying bugs and unacceptable loading times of the A1 are corrected, Toshiba could expect better sales figures for this unit. We will have to wait and see in a few weeks if that becomes a reality or not. Check the Toshiba website for more information on the HD-A2 Player.

via Gizmodo

Samsung HD Notebooks with M55 HD DVD Drive

Samsung announced an HD-DVD notebool, with a Core Duo T25000, a 17” display with a 1920x1200 resolution, a nice GeForce 7600 graphic card (GDDR3 256MB), an HDMI output, S/PDIF, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, SRS 3D… and of course an HD-DVD player. These notebooks go for a bit more than $3800.
Source : akirabahanews

Toshiba new Slim HD DVD Drive for Laptops

Here’s the Toshiba slim HD DVD optical drive for laptops. The SD-L902A measures 12.7-millimeters in height and integrates a blue laser that can read and write to HD DVD-R, access HD DVD-ROM media and act as a multi-drive to read and write to to DVD and CD discs.

Xbox External HD DVD Drive: $199.99

Just like we expected, Microsoft is shipping their Xbox 360 HD DVD external drive for $199.99 in the US (€199.99 in Europe and £129.99 in the UK). The package comes with  Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Xbox 360 Universal Remote. The drive is expected to hit shelves on November 17th in Japan, while Microsoft is targeting mid-November for the US and Europe.

A second generation HD DVD player from Toshiba

Toshiba today announced the release of their second generation HD DVD player this fall in the US. The new players named the HD-A2 and HD-XA2, should be available this fall and are very similar to the europeen models announced earlier. The XA2 will feature an HDMI 1.3 output with 1080p. According to hdbeat, the A2 will start shipping in October for a price of $499, while the HD-XA2 will debut in December with a price-tag of $999.

Can Toshiba Drop the HD DVD Format?

According to Reuters, Toshiba said it aims to ship a total of 500,000 HD DVD players and recorders worldwide in the next 7 months.

U.S. and Japan. We plan to ship another 300,000 by the end of the year," Yoshihide Fujii, the head of Toshiba's digital consumer business, told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. Toshiba believes it can ship 200,000 units in the first quarter of 2007.

HD DVD vs Blu-ray war and if studios are dropping the format, Toshiba could probably do so as well.

Toshiba HD-A1

Overview
The HD-A1 HD DVD player delivers outstanding resolution, bright, vivid colors and stunning sound from the next generation DVD standard adopted by the DVD forum. The HD-A1 is backwards compatible with standard DVDs and allows you to enjoy your existing collection of DVDs.

Toshiba HD-XA1

Overview
The HD-XA1 HD DVD player delivers exceptional image quality, life-like clarity and enhanced audio playback from the next generation DVD standard. The HD-XA1 is backwards compatible with standard DVDs and allows you to enjoy your existing collection of DVDs. The HD-XA1's great advancements in Audio and Video entertainment experience are matched only by its precise and refined construction.

Blu-ray and HD DVD Markets to Exceed $28 Billion by 2010

Paced by anticipated sales of blue laser players, game consoles, PC drives, and related media, the blue laser disc technology market is expected to exceed $28 billion in sales in 2010, according to Santa Clara Consulting Group (SCCG). Growth will be driven by six sub-segments, according to a report released today:

Warner Home Video to Release Two More HD DVD Titles

Warner Home Video (WHV) has announced the HD DVD release of "The Fugitive" and "Blazing Saddles" debuting May 23. Both titles will be available for $28.99 SRP.
"The Fugitive", which stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones is the box-office hit and Best picture Oscar�-nominated motion picture based on the long-running TV series about a surgeon falsely accused of killing his wife; "Blazing Saddles" stars Cleavon Little as an unlikely sheriff in the town of Rock Ridge, Harvey Korman as the villain, Madeline Kahn as a Marlene Dietrich-style chanteuse, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco Kid and Brooks himself as a not-too- sharp politico.

InterVideo Ulead to Showcase HD DVD Playback and Disc Authoring at HD DVD Seminar

InterVideo�, Inc. and its partner Ulead� Systems, Inc. today announced that they will demonstrate their HD DVD authoring and playback solutions at the HD DVD Promotion Group Seminar held at NEC, in Tokyo, Japan on May 18, 2006.

Toshiba HD-DVD Players Now Shipping to U.S. Retailers

Toshiba announced today its new HD-DVD Players, the first in the U.S. market, are now shipping to retailers nationwide. The introduction of the new HD-DVD Players will be supported by consumer promotions and an extensive advertising campaign highlighting the key consumer benefits of HD DVD and follows on the heels of an extensive 40-city retail tour.

Toshiba Tours America to Promote the Launch of HD-DVD Players

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba"), announced today details of an integrated marketing communications plan to launch its line-up of HD-DVD Players. The Toshiba HD-DVD Players, models HD-XA1 and HD-A1, will be the first HD-DVD Players to hit the U.S. market and will begin shipping to retailers in March of this year.

Fujifilm Blu-ray, HD DVD Media Available Summer 2006

Fuji Photo Film today announced that Fujifilm-branded Blu-ray and HD DVD media will be available mid 2006. The company also continues to conduct significant research and development in the area of holographic storage technologies that will bring future generation, multiple terabyte optical storage capacity to consumer, entertainment and commercial applications. A single terabyte of holographic disc storage is roughly the equivalent of 16 days of continuously running DVD movies, or 8,000 times more data than a human brain retains in a lifetime.

Toshiba Introduces Line-Up Of First HD-DVD Players for the U.S. Market

Toshiba unveiled today the market launch details for its line-up of the first High Definition DVD players for the U.S. market. The new HD-DVD Players, models HD-XA1 and HD-A1, will take advantage of the superior capabilities of the HD DVD format, including outstanding visual quality supported by leading- edge video compression technologies, the high resolution audio specifications and the capability for enhanced functionality including, Advanced Navigation, also referred to as "iHD."

HD DVD Hardware and Content "Now Playing" at the Consumer Electronics Show

The HD DVD Promotion Group, a multinational organization comprised of more than 120 top consumer electronics, IT, disc replication and entertainment companies, today announced at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that next-generation, HD-DVD Players and leading film content will be widely available in the U.S. market beginning March 2006.

Toshiba's Comment on HP's Announcement to Support HD DVD and Join HD DVD Promotion Group

The announcement of HP, a prominent leader in the IT industry, to support HD DVD and to join the HD DVD Promotion Group is significant and welcome news. The HD DVD Promotion Group comprises over 100 multi-national leaders in the IT, CE and entertainment industries with a common objective of promoting the HD DVD format and expediting commercialization of HD DVD products.

Toshiba Exhibits HD DVD Player at CEATEC JAPAN 2005

Toshiba Corporation today announced that it would demonstrate its prototype HD DVD player at CEATEC JAPAN 2005, Asia's premier international exhibition of high-technology and electronics.

Imation to Manufacture HD DVD and Blu-ray Writable Optical Media

Imation Corp today announced it has begun its scale-up of manufacturing for HD DVD and Blu-ray optical recordable media in preparation for product introduction in early 2006. The company invested more than $10 million in 2005 in research, development and modular manufacturing capabilities to position Imation among the industry leaders delivering the newest high-capacity optical formats to customers.

InterVideo Ulead Showcase HD DVD Playback and Disc Authoring Software

SHANGHAI, China - InterVideo Lauren Ma, 510-651-0888 pr@intervideo.com
InterVideo�, Inc. (NASDAQ:IVII) and its partner Ulead� Systems, Inc. (TSE:2487), industry leaders in video, image and DVD software, members of the HD DVD Promotion Group, today announced that they will showcase their complete HD DVD solutions, from authoring and burning to playback, at the HD DVD seminar in Shanghai, China on April 22rd.

Toshiba Announces Industry's First HD-DVD Players for the U.S. Market

Toshiba Corporation today marked a major milestone in the history of the consumer electronics industry and the world of home entertainment with the announcement of the March 2006 commercial launch of the industry's first HD-DVD Players in the USA.