Audio Video News

In a widely anticipated press conference today at Toshiba's corporate offices in Tokyo, Japan, the company finally announced its decision to pull the plug on HD DVD. According to a Reuters report, it will begin reducing shipments of players and recorders immediately, with the goal of shutting down the business by the end of next month.

This pivotal moment in history brings mixed emotions. On the one hand, I'm glad to see the end of a stupid format war that has kept consumers on the sidelines, slowing the launch of high-def packaged media, which I prefer far more than HD downloads. On the other hand, I mourn the demise of HD DVD, which offered more stability and consistency than Blu-ray and many advanced features long before they were available on the rival format.

I also sympathize with those who bought into HD DVD, many of whom must be feeling pretty pissed off right about now. (I even got a venomous hate e-mail from an HD DVD owner who lashed out at me for saying I was glad the war is over in a previous news story!) However, the players they bought aren't suddenly useless. Anyone who bought HD DVD titles can still enjoy them on their player—it didn't suddenly stop working. Also, there are several test discs on HD DVD, including a new one from video guru Joe Kane, that I intend to continue using in TV reviews and that can help HD DVD owners get the most from their HDTVs.

It might be bad news for those who feel they picked the wrong horse, but it's good news for the consumer-electronics industry as a whole. Still, I'll miss covering the battle royale—that is, until the next stupid format war begins.