Toshiba Gives Up On HD DVD, Ends High-Def Format War

Toshiba plans to stop shipping HD DVD players and recorders by the end of March, and end production of disk drives for PCs and videogames in the same timeframe.

Toshiba on Tuesday surrendered in the high-definition format war against Sony-backed Blu-ray, saying it would no longer make or market HD DVD players and recorders.

The announcement came four days after Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, said it would stop selling HD DVD movies and players by June. But the turning point in the format battle came last month when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, which accounts for 20% of DVD sales in the U.S., said it would ship all of its high-definition titles in Blu-ray by year’s end. Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) and online movie renter Netflix followed suit this month.

Full story: informationweek.com