Rich Fiscus
29 Jan 2008 2:20
In case there was any question of Toshiba's commitment to HD DVD technology, it should be put to rest now with the announcement that the company has bought a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl for nearly $3 million.
Toshiba's recent marketing push, including not only the Super Bowl ad, but also reduced HD DVD player prices and a very public order for HD DVD recordable media from Ritek, don't appear to have convinced the public that HD DVD is still a viable product. After seeing Blu-ray's sales edge since Warner Brothers' announcement earlier this month, whatever analysts were still on the fence have also gotten both feet squarely on the side of Blu-ray.
"Gartner believes that Toshiba's price-cutting may prolong HD DVD's life a little, but the Limited line-up of film titles will inflict fatal damage on the format. Gartner expects that, by the end of 2008, Blu-ray will be the winning format in the consumer market, and the war will be over," wrote analyst Hiroyuki Shimizu in Gartner's Semiconductor DQ Monday Report.
Of course there's no reason to believe that Toshiba will give up on HD DVD as long as Paramount and Universal are still supporting it. Depending on who you ask that either postpones the ineveitable, to the detriment of both consumers and the home video industry, or gives HD DVD a fighting chance for at least a few more months.