Toshiba launches Blu-ray after DVD setback

[marzetta7]

Toshiba launches Blu-ray after DVD setback

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...pz7D4vScAcHj-Q

Japan's Toshiba Corp. will enter the Blu-ray DVD market, more than a year after it gave up on its own next-generation format that failed to gain industry support, a report said.

The media-electronics conglomerate will launch Blu-ray products as early as this year, a complete reversal of its position over the high-density DVD standard, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said.

Toshiba had promoted its "HD DVD format", pitting itself against the Blu-ray system developed by Sony and its partners, in a competition characterised as a re-run of the VHS-Betamax battle in video cassette tapes in the late 1970s.

Major Hollywood studios with vast movie back catalogues sided with Blu-ray, which then dominated the key Japanese market.

The move pushed Toshiba to concede defeat and give up on promoting HD DVD in early 2008, in an echo of Sony's Betamax setback a generation ago.

Toshiba considered making a comeback by developing next-generation televisions and eyeing distribution of television programmes and movies via the Internet.

But rapid growth of demand for Blu-ray products in Japan encouraged Toshiba to enter the Blu-ray market, the Yomiuri said.

Hell has frozen ovah!! JK, I think we all knew they would come around eventually.

[Batman1980]

What is this blu-ray DVD the article speaks of, I'm lost?

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by Wolverine1980

What is this blu-ray DVD the article speaks of, I'm lost?

Exactly what I was thinking.

[LordCrumb]

Originally Posted by red_5ive

Exactly what I was thinking.

I forgot Blu-Ray wasnt a digitial video on a disc.

[FinalEvangelion]

They finally concede. It looks like the industry is on board.

Two big ones remain now - Microsoft and Apple. I like many of Toshiba's electronics, so I'm glad they are on board.

[Blu Titan]

The news is all over the net. Toshiba makes good electronic products so their addition is welcomed.

[md99]

They will be under intense scrutiny too so maybe we could be looking at a very, very good player.

Fingers crossed.

[GregBlu5]

The war seems so long ago now, doesn't it?

Everyone thought they'd never get IRON MAN in Blu-ray. That it would take forever to wait for TRANSFORMERS to make it to Blu-ray. Pop up trolls appeared every day here, blowing smoke. Studios defected when bribed but then returned to the fold faster than you could imagine.

Suddenly, it was all over.

What did you do in the format war?

[OrlandoEastwood]

I was told about this from a Techie at the company when I had my old laptop from them. It was hush-hush inside info and he told me about it. Proof about me sharing the info about it: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=91799

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by KaiGusto

I forgot Blu-Ray wasnt a digitial video on a disc.

That's not even what DVD means. DVD is itself a defined standard of optical disc. The name is actually a short form of "digital versatile disc", but in fact, even that is irrelevant. For example, a CD is really a "compact disc", but the term compact disc is actually an accurate description for ANY optical disc on the market today. Would you call a DVD a CD? Would you call a BD a CD? Isn't a BD actually a disc that is compact?

Originally Posted by GregBlu5

What did you do in the format war?

Sat on the fence until a winner would come out. I don't care about Blu-ray; I just like movies. Luckily, Blu-ray is a stronger standard format than HD-DVD, so I'm satisfied, but I truthfully have no allegiance.

Anyway, I think this is pretty much a "duh" situation. Once BD was set as the winner and proved itself as a viable format in the big picture, Toshiba would be fools to refuse to get on board. This is the same that happened with Sony and beta. After beta failed, Sony did eventually get on board the VHS train.

[Terjyn]

When people say "Kleenex", you know exactly what they mean, even if they aren't referring to the brand name.

DVD has achieved that level of transcendence, and that's why Blu-Ray DVD will be used pretty much forever. Learn to live with it or give yourself a hernia railing against it, because it will never go away.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

When people say "Kleenex", you know exactly what they mean, even if they aren't referring to the brand name.

DVD has achieved that level of transcendence, and that's why Blu-Ray DVD will be used pretty much forever. Learn to live with it or give yourself a hernia railing against it, because it will never go away.

I don't mind it as much for that reason, but when people say, "No, Blu-ray is a digital video disc, so it is a DVD," I just get really annoyed. Blu-ray is also a compact disc, but would you call it a CD?

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by GregBlu5

What did you do in the format war?

Bought a VAIO with a Blu-ray drive... several BDs.
Converted a couple people from DVD to Blu-ray.
Met a few good people here at Blu-ray.com.
Corrected more than my share of FUD spewers trying to downplay Blu-ray.
Laughed like hell when a certain couple of red backers got it handed to them when the war ended.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself!

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by dadkins

Bought a VAIO with a Blu-ray drive... several BDs.
Converted a couple people from DVD to Blu-ray.
Met a few good people here at Blu-ray.com.
Corrected more than my share of FUD spewers trying to downplay Blu-ray.
Laughed like hell when a certain couple of red backers got it handed to them when the war ended.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself!

I stayed on the sidelines, unfortunately I bought a lot of DVDs during the war, money that could've been spent on blu-rays. Oh well, my DVDs are gone now and I'd say I'm well on my way to a nice blu-ray library.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

I don't mind it as much for that reason, but when people say, "No, Blu-ray is a digital video disc, so it is a DVD," I just get really annoyed. Blu-ray is also a compact disc, but would you call it a CD?

Well, ok. The "Digital video disc" thing is not specifically true. But when people think of DVD, they don't think of the format, they think of a disc that plays movies, so it's still true in a sense.

[CAB]

Yet Blu-ray is many times not video. I own several audio only and of course there's that whole storage thing which was it's start. It would be best if the press would use proper terminology as to not [mis-]lead the public to yet another set of misconceptions. A simple statement defining Blu-ray Disc as the replacement for the aged DVD is all it takes to set the parlance of our times. Lazy press is the beginning of the end for us all. I cite the misguided survey which many people thought their upscaler players were in fact HD DVD players. Words mean things.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

Well, ok. The "Digital video disc" thing is not specifically true. But when people think of DVD, they don't think of the format, they think of a disc that plays movies, so it's still true in a sense.

No, it's not true in any sense. It's not as ridiculous when a clueless person simply uses the term "DVD" as a generic name for all video discs, but it is not at all true.

But when they argue that "DVD" is an accurate word for a Blu-ray disc, that is 100% not correct. If they said "Blu-ray video disc" that would be accurate, and so too would "Blu-ray disc". In fact, stop for a moment and compare "Blu-ray DVD" and "Blu-ray disc". Which is correct? The latter. Which is easier to say? The latter. Is there any reason to use the first term? Only ignorance or stupidity.

[Seboist]

If DVD really meant "Digital Video Disc" then the logo "DVD Video" would be a huge redundancy.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

No, it's not true in any sense. It's not as ridiculous when a clueless person simply uses the term "DVD" as a generic name for all video discs, but it is not at all true.

But when they argue that "DVD" is an accurate word for a Blu-ray disc, that is 100% not correct. If they said "Blu-ray video disc" that would be accurate, and so too would "Blu-ray disc". In fact, stop for a moment and compare "Blu-ray DVD" and "Blu-ray disc". Which is correct? The latter. Which is easier to say? The latter. Is there any reason to use the first term? Only ignorance or stupidity.

Gah still so sick of so much ignorance, I think I'm going to get my mother a Blu-Ray for dummies book for her birthday so she'll finally stop being so ignorant.

[marzetta7]

Originally Posted by GregBlu5

The war seems so long ago now, doesn't it?

Everyone thought they'd never get IRON MAN in Blu-ray. That it would take forever to wait for TRANSFORMERS to make it to Blu-ray. Pop up trolls appeared every day here, blowing smoke. Studios defected when bribed but then returned to the fold faster than you could imagine.

Suddenly, it was all over.

What did you do in the format war?

I agree it went pretty quickly. I fought FUD on at least 3 different forums as I wanted to see Blu-ray succeed being the more advanced format that didn't seem to be a compromise like HD DVD. Plus, I loved the idea of the more scratch resistant discs the Blu-ray spec provided.

Now,...if only Blu-ray can give me some audio discs so that I can start my 311 Blu-ray audio collection with 7.1 surround sound ...hmmm....