Toshiba bit the bullet and splashed out around three million dollars for an HD DVD advert during this year's Super Bowl.

The video, immortalised on YouTube, is below. What do you think?

Personally, I think it's pretty cheap and tacky, and there's nothing amusing or innovative about it. It doesn't grab your attention and scream "buy an HD DVD player". It barely gives the impression that it's worth watching films in high definition.

If this is as exciting as things get, then surely it's all over for HD DVD?

Possibly another blow for the beleaguered HD DVD camp with speculation that Onkyo may discontinue their HD DVD player line.

Their DV-HD806 was launched in the US last autumn, but apparently there are now no plans to bring it to the UK.

It's really looking as if Toshiba will be the only HD DVD manufacturer left, not including dual-format manufacturers such as LG and Samsung.

(Via SlashGear)

In a move which could make it more palatable for disillusioned HD DVD owners to switch to Blu-ray, Sony has partnered with German electronics retailer Saturn to offer a credit on new Blu-ray equipment when customers agree to exchange their current HD DVD player.

The offer, worth €150 (about £110) would at least knock a bit off the more expensive BDP-S300, which is the only standalone machine currently included in the offer.

If high definition hardware adoption rates in Europe are accurate, then it potentially won't cost Sony too much. Presumably, there will be a number of die-hard HD DVD early adopters who won't want to switch, anyway.

For those of us who haven't yet taken the plunge and shelled out for either HD format, we can just hope for cheaper player prices within the next year.

(Via Tech Blorge)

According to the NPD Group, who has provided weekly sales tracking figures for high definition discs in the US, the HD DVD format is far from dead.

They have correctly reminded those using the figures alone to signal Blu-ray's victory to be cautious at using a single week's results to plot a trend.

They also detailed several contributing factors which were likely to have made US sales figures for the two formats so wildly different.

"The facts are that during the week that is being singled out, both Blu-ray Disc players and software were being given away for free with the purchase of 1080p TVs. It is also important to note that the instant rebate promotions that had previously netted Toshiba's players' MSRPs to $199 and $249 had actually ended on Jan. 5th, causing an increase in HD DVD's MSRP back to $299 and $399 during that same week. Since Toshiba's retail price move on Jan. 13th to $149 / $199, Toshiba is seeing very positive sales trends at retail. This reinforces the fact that price is a significant driver of sales."

All well and good on this reasoning, but it's still hard to see how Warner's decision won't adversely affect HD DVD in the future.

(Via Daily Game)

A report from the Blu-ray Group Deutschland suggests that standalone Blu-ray players are outselling HD DVD players by two-to-one, according to surveys taken by GfK in the second week of January. This doesn't include sales of Sony's PlayStation 3, either.

Of course, these statistics aren't based on actual, verifiable sales figures, but they do seem to give some indication of the strength of the Blu-ray format in Europe.

"This is good news for us -- and for retailers", commented Thilo Röhrig from the Group. "We are trying to create additional purchase incentives to increase the demand for Blu-ray even further."

(Via Heise Online)

Woolworths may not be the first name you think of when it comes to buying movies, but they do tend to stock a fairly decent range of CDs and DVDs, and have also started selling high definition discs.

So, it's not inconsequential that they've decided to stop stocking HD DVDs in store, in favour of creating more shelf space for Blu-ray, from March. HD DVDs will still be available to buy online, though, so it's not a complete snub of the format.

The company claims that the decision was based on analysis of their Christmas 2007 sales figures, showing that Blu-ray outsold HD DVD by ten to one, though Warner's pre-CES decision to drop HD DVD may well have had some bearing also.

The reason for their customers overwhelmingly choosing Blu-ray is down to Sony's PS3, according to Steven McGunigel, DVD buyer at Woolworths, speaking to The Retail Bulletin.

"Because [the PS3] plays Blu-Ray discs, there are over 750,000 homes in the UK that can view the new high-definition format. There is nowhere near that number of HD-DVD players around," he said. "Switching to Blu-ray only will provide one clear offer to customers in the format they want to watch high definition movies in."

All of Woolworths' 820 UK stores will feature a Blu-ray chart, and back catalogue of titles.

A spokesperson for Toshiba, Olivier Van Wynendaele, the European assistant general manager of their Consumer Products Division, said that, while they were disappointed with the retailer's decision, "it is extremely early to spot which format will eventually win. We’re confident that HD DVD’s affordability, fantastic choice of movies, great consumer experience and upcoming promotions will help it continue to strengthen its share of the market."

(Via Register Hardware)

Reports suggest that Toshiba will be taking out a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl on 3rd February. It will cost the company close to three million dollars, and is expected to highlight their freshly price cut HD DVD players.

Toshiba's Jodi Sally told Home Media Magazine that the commercial wasn't a make-or-break promotion for the disc format. "It has always been our strategy to reach HDTV owners, using advertising on football is just one vehicle."

However, it does seem to be a pretty big push for a format whose supporters are slowly ebbing away.

Unsurprisingly, Andy Parsons at the Blu-ray Promotional Group said that the ad would be unlikely "to convince consumers that HD DVD will win the format war".

(Via TV Predictions)

According to an analyst at the Gartner market research firm, the high definition disc war will be over by the end of the year, with Blu-ray becoming the high definition format to supersede DVD.

However, they said that Toshiba's strategy of cutting player prices is only prolonging the inevitable.

"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 Hiroyuki Shimizu.

(Via Computer World Singapore)

Gizmo Republic is reporting that Samsung could find themselves in hot water over their BD-UP5000 dual format high definition player.

The reason? It doesn't properly decode Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD:

Dolby's TrueHD is supported by the BD-UP5000, but only in two channels lacking the multi-channel surround sound demanded by home theater aficionados.

You'll find TrueHD in two channels is an annoyance because some discs (Resident Evil: Extinction is one of the latest) only offer a selectable TrueHD soundtrack.

When such a disc plays back in a device that can't read the TrueHD audio track it'll default back to a hidden Dolby Digital soundtrack, the kind you'd get on standard DVDs. But since the BD-UP5000 does support it, but only in two channels - it means advanced home theater systems can only hear the new Resident Evil movie in stereo, just like an old record album by the Beatles.

Ken Graffeo, Universal Studios' executive VP of high definition strategic marketing, and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group, has done an in-depth interview with BetaNews, and he's pretty confident that the format won't be going away any time soon.

He talks about the decision to cancel the CES press conference, Warner, digital delivery versus physical discs, word of mouth promotion, and Universal reaching a wider consumer base by releasing double-sided dual-format HD DVD / standard DVDs.

Well worth a read: Interview: Universal EVP Ken Graffeo says HD DVD is here to stay

According to research from NPD, sales of standalone HD DVD suffered a massive slump in the week following Warner Brothers' announcement in early January.

While in the first week of January, just over 14,500 HD DVD players were sold in the US, in comparison to just over 15,000 Blu-ray players, by the second week of January, just 1,758 HD DVD players were sold, compared to 21,770 Blu-ray players.

Though it's not enough to draw any long term conclusions, the numbers speak for themselves. Blu-ray player sales increased significantly, while HD DVD player sales almost fell off the bottom of the graph.

None of these figures include Sony's PlayStation 3, or Microsoft's HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360. Factoring those in would likely widen the gap even more.

(Via Tech Radar)

A new survey from Dixons suggests that around half of its customers could end up disappointed, whichever way the high definition disc format war eventually goes.

When asked which format they preferred, 53% of Dixons.co.uk customers went for Blu-ray, with 47% choosing HD DVD.

Unfortunately, in interpreting the results, deVere Forster, Director of E-Commerce, appeared to show a lack of understanding, saying, “Sony may have stolen a march with Blu Ray by including it in the PS3 in an attempt to hook in the gaming generation, but X BOX (sic) users, which is HD DVD driven, would no doubt disagree."

In fact, the Xbox 360 is not HD DVD driven, though users who bought the add-on drive to watch movies may be as irritated as Toshiba HD DVD player owners.

“Customers are confused about the benefits of one format over the other and which films they will be able to view as the different studios choose to go exclusively with one format or the other. They want to know which way the market is going to go so that they do not waste their money by investing in the wrong format. For the sake of our customers we hope the decision will come soon.”

Do online petitions work? Six thousand HD DVD supporters obviously think they do, as they've signed one — Save HD DVD! — to take issue with Warner's statements that the consumer has chosen Blu-ray.

Their hope is that Warner Brothers will reverse its decision to drop the HD DVD format, and that Universal and Paramount will continue to back the format.

However, Blu-ray supporters have also got in on the act, signing several "die HD DVD die" petitions. The largest, titled "Let HD DVD die", has been signed by over one thousand Blu-ray supporters.

Will it make any difference? Seems unlikely.

(Via High Def Digest)

For anyone continuing to keep a close, interested, eye on HD DVD versus Blu-ray statistics, here are a few international numbers to chew on.

In Japan, new figures suggest that overall sales of high definition hardware increased rapidly at the end of 2007 — up from 6.1% in October to around 20% in November and December — with Blu-ray taking 90% of that market.

Meanwhile, in the US, Blu-ray reportedly took an 85% share of high definition disc sales for the week ending 13th January, with no HD DVDs in the top ten selling discs.

(Via Japan Today | AfterDawn)

Buffalo Technology has announced that it will be launching a range of external DVD and high definition disc PC drives in Europe.

First up will be a top-of-range device capable of reading and writing to Blu-ray discs, and reading HD DVDs, as well as handling standard DVD media. It will come bundled with disc authoring software from Nero.

Other products will include a cheaper external drive that will read both HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs, and write to ordinary DVDs, and a unit which simply handles DVDs.

All will offer plug and play functionality and come with Buffalo's TurboUSB technology. They'll be available from mid-March, prices and exact details to be confirmed.

Toshiba's new HD DVD marketing campaign has extended into Europe, with the format's creator singing its praises and showing off its achievements.

According to Tosh, based on independent research, HD DVD hardware had a 60% share of the European market at the end of last year, with the number of players doubling in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Toshiba has now cut the price of its European hardware, with the RRP of the HD-EP30 at under £150, and the high-end HD-EP35 at under £250.

The actual message is no different to the worldwide / US message given out by Toshiba, but at least we now know the revised UK pricing for Tosh's players.

BBC VIdeo, who releases titles under Warner Brothers, has said that it will continue to release high definition DVDs in both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.

They will evaluate the marketplace before committing to one format, according to a spokesperson.

(Via DVD Town)

OK, I'm getting pretty cheesed off with the Microsoft. A couple of months ago, HD DVD was the only format worth investing in, then at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, Albert Penello (a senior Microsoft executive), suggested that Microsoft might consider Blu-ray if it became the dominant format.

Apparently, that's not true after all. There are "absolutely no plans at all for a Blu-ray drive".

OK then Microsoft. In that case, would you please keep your senior executives in line and stop messing with the minds of consumers?

(Via Afterdawn)

Thomas K. Arnold, contributor to the industry's Home Media Magazine, has told the HD DVD Promotional Group, in no uncertain terms, to "knock it off" and put an end to the high definition disc format war.

Claiming not to find favour with either of the main disc formats, he says that, despite Blu-ray still playing catchup on features, those supporting HD DVD should now "take the high road and, for the good of the entire industry, bow out."

Hmm, I can't see that happening any time soon. Toshiba still seem very set on their beloved format, and I reckon they'll hang on to it for as long as possible.

However, it's consumer confusion which is holding high definition discs back:

Pocket-Lint has discovered Toshiba's higher-end HD-EP30 HD DVD player being sold at Tesco stores for £179.

"The price of £179 is already low considering the RRP of £250, but add in the 1000 Clubcard points and seven free films and you're looking at practically fire sale pricing."

Question is: would you buy an HD DVD player with a handful of films just because it's this cheap, or is the format beyond redemption?

(Via Pocket-Lint)