Rumor: Toshiba to Give Up High-def Format War Within the Next Few Weeks

 

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that their sources are telling them Toshiba will be "pulling the plug" on the HD DVD format within the next few weeks. Given all the recent news of companies defecting the HD DVD camp, the move isn't all that surprising, though the speed at which the format war is ending is somewhat startling.

Since Warner Brothers announced they would be supporting the Blu-ray format exclusively in the future, Blu-ray has emerged as the clear winner in a format war that could have dragged on for considerable time. With Blu-ray now commanding over 80% exclusive studio support, there really doesn't appear to be any plays left in Toshiba's playbook. Despite their latest price cuts on players and 1/2 off sales on discs, the HD DVD camp only managed to grab 19% of disc sales last week, and only 28% of player sales.

In an out of character and fairly evasive manner, Toshiba's official response was:

Officially, no decision has been made, insists Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products.... But she hinted that something's in the air.

Unofficially, however:

"An announcement is coming soon," said one source close to the HD DVD camp. "It could be a matter of weeks."

Perhaps more tellingly, however, is the deafening silence from other HD DVD supporters:

Several phone calls to Kevin Collins, Microsoft's normally accessible "HD DVD evangelist," were not returned. Nor were calls to Ken Graffeo, the Universal Studios Home Entertainment executive who doubles as co-president of the HD DVD North American Promotional Group.

When reporters can't get "Crazy Ken" on the line to talk about HD DVD, then its probably a safe bet that the end is near.