Rumours abound that Toshiba will pull out of the HD format war in the coming weeks, admitting defeat for HD DVD and handing victory to Sony and Blu-ray.
Warner Bros arguably struck the killer blow to HD DVD when it defected to Blu-ray on the eve of this year’s CES. Since 5 Jan, the HD DVD camp has fought on (see below). But it’s become a hopeless situation, like baling out the Titanic with a shot glass, or being the 301st bare-chested Spartan to the battle of Thermopylae.
With only Paramount and Universal currently providing Hollywood support, the future for HD DVD looks grim. So we reluctantly begin our HD DVD 'death watch' - the end can't be far away now...
Feb 16: Toshiba almost out of HD DVD, but not quite
Wal-mart finally chooses to dump HD DVD; Reuters reports that Toshiba is thinking of throwing in the towel; BDA puts the champagne on ice...
Feb 12: HD DVD: will this torment ever end?
Netflix and Best Buy choose Blu-ray, dump HD DVD
Feb 7: Amazon US offers HD DVD player, 6 titles for £40
Stock clearance today, car boot sale tomorrow
Feb 7: Analysts predict Blu-ray to kill off HD DVD in 2008
"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."
Jan 29: HD DVD to make one last plea at US Super Bowl
Blows $2.7 million (£1.4 million) on TV ad
Jan 29: Seagate CEO says Blu-ray win 'meaningless'
HD DVD loss is irrelevant. Digital downloads are the future.
Jan 29: Woolworths goes Blu-ray, won't stock HD DVD
"Sales figures clearly show that the market is moving towards one format of high definition DVD," Woolies said
Jan 25: Freebies caused Blu-ray spike in Jan
Sony, Sharp and Panasonic discount Blu-ray players to rub salt in HD DVD’s wounds
Jan 22: 'Save HD DVD' petition gets 11,000 signatures
‘Let HD DVD die’ petition attracts 4,000
Jan 21: HD DVD in freefall, as Blu-ray sales surge
The top ten selling HD movies in January were all Blu-ray titles.
Jan 21: Shops make more room for Blu-ray
US retailers start devoting more shelf-space to Blu-ray, squeezing out HD DVD
Jan 17: Apple makes web movie rentals mainstream
Apple announces iTunes movie rentals, updates Apple TV. Who needs HD discs?
Jan 14: Toshiba to slash HD DVD player prices
Slashes player prices in an attempt to spark hardware sales
Jan 11: Microsoft, Hollywood rush to HD DVD's defence
Still believe HD DVD is the best format for consumers. Group hug?
Jan 10: Retailers unwilling to give up on HD DVD yet
Stores wary of declaring an end to the format war
Jan 9: XBox 360 could go Blu-ray, says Microsoft
After all, it’s just a case of putting a Blu-ray drive in a box
Jan 9: Toshiba refuses to let HD DVD die
Take a look at our new Qosmio laptops with HD DVD-R/RW drives. Nice huh?
Jan 8: Now Paramount to drop HD DVD?
Rats and sinking ship spring to mind, but there’s no truth to the rumour
Jan 7: Toshiba: 'HD DVD is not dead'
Warner/Blu-ray bombshell is only a flesh wound…
Jan 6: Who needs LG's dual format HD player?
Just buy a PlayStation 3 instead
Jan 5: Warner ditches HD DVD for Blu-ray
Ground zero. The beginning of the end for HD DVD...
