If someone asks why you’re getting rid of the HD DVD player and video library you were so excited about just a few years ago, tell them it’s about time you bring your garbage to the dump.
When Toshiba announced last month that it would no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders, many considered this concession the end of a nearly decade-long “format war” over high-definition video disc storage.
The outcome: Blu-ray Disc technology is now the industry standard.
HD DVD got conquered.
Although both formats were developed in fundamentally similar ways to succeed current DVD technology, Blu-ray Disc triumphed for its greater data storage capacity and its higher data transfer rate.
This meant the film studios could release their movies with better quality video and audio than on HD DVD.
The news triggered cheers, tears, and sneers.
While Toshiba braces to lose hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of the decision and prepares to close factories in northern Japan, competitor Sony and its Blu-ray Disc affiliates are revelling in victory, money, and serious market esteem.
They should have seen it coming.
By 2007, most of the major North American film studios had already committed to developing and marketing their high-definition products exclusively for Blu-ray Disc.
Now, since Toshiba announced HD DVD’s demise, those – like Universal and Paramount – who initially supported the fledgling format have done an about-face and declared their allegiance to Blu-ray Disc, marking full support for the Sony-affiliated format by the six major Hollywood studios – Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner, Universal and Paramount.
Retailers such as Netflix, Best Buy and Wal-Mart also favoured Blu-ray early on, all of them choosing to opt out of HD DVD before Toshiba even made its discontinuation announcement last month.
At home, consumers who invested their money and interest in HD DVD are searching for a spot to store this latest obsolete technology – among their Betamax video recorders, 8-track music cartridge collections, and other equally antiquated artifacts in the hopes of maybe one day bequeathing the whole nostalgic lot to some unsuspecting grandchild.
Despite their cancellation, HD DVD players and associated discs are still lining the shelves of some electronics departments – and at seriously discounted prices.
The products will likely vanish from retailers worldwide by the end of the month, Toshiba says.
That may occur even sooner, depending on how many people choose to buy up the outmoded – yet completely functional – HD DVD technology at get-it-while-you-can prices.
Toshiba is currently decreasing its shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels but maintains that the company will “continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives” and will “provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products,” according to an official press release.
So, even though future films will not be made available on HD DVD, one might find appeal in stocking up on his or her favourite titles in the format and using that HD DVD player to enjoy those golden oldies.
One must also consider how Blu-ray Disc technology has always been more expensive than competitor HD DVD.
Now, the price of victorious Blu-ray technology could rise even higher.
But that’s OK.
Some people just like the old stuff anyway.
Others, of course, crave what’s new.
If you’re in the market to snatch up the world’s winning high-definition disc storage technology, go get yourself a shiny new Blu-ray player and matching disc collection.
If you’re looking for a more economical option, go buy HD DVD for cheap while you still can.
If the store’s out, you might try elsewhere.
After all, some people might be taking what they feel is now garbage to the dump.