So the format war is is finally over, what with Toshiba retreating from the HD DVD camp. But what's in store for Toshiba now that it no longer supports a hi-def format? The company's Chief Executive, Atsutoshi Nishida, relates his plans for the company's life after HD DVD. Read about it in the full article.

Some winners just can't help but be proud about their victories, and the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) isn't any different. After a grand slam victory in the format wars, the Blu-ray Disc Association released an official statement regarding Toshiba's announcement to pull out support from the HD DVD camp. Check it out in the full article.

Toshiba Corporation sent in a press release informing all of us that the format HD DVD and the businesses related to it will soon stop operations.

This development came after the company had done studies regarding the matter. The full story awaits after the jump! Just click the "read more" link below

Japanese electronics firm Toshiba has announced that it will unveil the final version of its new EL (electronic luminescence) TV some time in 2009, after which a massive global commercialization plot is set to unfold from 2010 to 2015.

 

The EL TV is Toshiba's newest high-end television project that makes use of "organic" technology to provide better-quality visuals and eye-friendly viewing. The electronics giant revealed that the 21-inch model they recently showed is a mere prototype and a 30-inch version is the most probable class to be mass-produced.

"We plan larger size than those Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. (TMD) have developed," said CEO Atsutoshi Nishida. He also pointed to the company looking at possible resources in polymer panels and low molecular weight materials to create quite possibly the most high-end model when it comes out.

Toshiba's top executives say that they don't expect a tremendous demand to surge when the EL TV is released but said that they have reason to believe that the product will catch on and compete with popular LCD models when the commercialization settles in.

For ages people have been asking for the HD-DVD and Blu-ray war to come to an end, but neither side has backed down. Here's something that could change all that. Just as Toshiba boss Atsutoshi Nishida calls for a unified format, along comes Samsung and Toshiba with a simple yet effective idea - a Hybrid HD-DVD and Blu-ray player. The device is planned for a release either later this year or in 2007, and will combine technology from Samsung and Toshiba, making a top-notch player.

Samsung and Toshiba will both manufacturer their hybrid next-gen media players at the same plant, a joint venture between the two. However, Samsung appears to have put themselves into a position to call Sony's bluff. According to the licencing agreement between Samsung and Sony for developing Blu-ray, partners aren't allowed to develop HD-DVD.

Obviously, Sony aren't going to push this. They won't risk a confrontation with Samsung, as they are currently Sony's backbone in their quest to roll out Blu-ray across the world. It was a gutsy move by Samsung to violate the licencing agreement, but in the long term it should be better for all. Hybrid players will be the best invention since...well HD-DVD and Blu-ray players. The only thing that's worrying me is the price. If this player is too expensive, it'll flop faster than you can say Betamax.

In a recent shareholders' meeting, Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida has said that they have not given up on a "unified" format for advanced DVD discs, stating that the HD-DVD/Blu-ray war will go on for a long time 'fighting for consumers' as both are incompatible with each other. In a neutral stance, Nishida said "We have not given up on a unified format. We would like to seek ways for unifying the standards if opportunities arise".

Currently, Toshiba supports the HD-DVD format rather than Blu-ray, and rolled out their first HD-DVD players in Japan last March. This message from Toshiba top-dog Nishida is pretty clear - sooner or later, we need a unified next-generation media disc. The battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD has been going on for years before the launch, and the failure of the two groups to settle on a unified format could result in something close to what we saw in the 1970s/1980s in the VHS-Betamax war.

Those that can remember the war will know that it caused huge consumer confusion, and both formats took a beating, with VHS coming out on top. Personally, I hope that we do not see a repeat of the VHS-Betamax war. I would like to see a more 'universal' format that everyone can agree on. Technically, Blu-ray is the stronger format as it stores more data, however, HD-DVDs are cheaper to manufacture. Surely, a hybrid of these two strong points would emerge to be the best for all parties?

Hopefully, with more encouragement and pressure by large company bosses like Nishida we could see a move towards a united format. However, that is only a hope - or more accurately, wishful thinking. Many people have been trying to stop this 'war' before it started, but now with both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs and players on the market...it's hard to see an outcome that doesn't involve one format lying in ruins.