Toshiba Fighting The Inevitable

By David Utter
Expert Author
Article Date: 2005-05-16

Though it is under pressure from supporters of its HD DVD format to stay the course, Sony may have this battle won.

"I'll never join you!" screams Toshiba, wounded in its three year battle with Sony over DVD formats, the fight nearing an end.

"It is your destiny," replies Sony, purveyors of the Blu-ray DVD format, which even after Toshiba's latest storage gains still holds a slim advantage in capacity by 5 GB.

But together, they can rule the next-generation format. A potential compromise rumored by sources close to the parties would see Blu-ray DVDs become the standard, but Toshiba would be the software provider, enabling Blu-ray playback and digital rights management.

Still, Toshiba holds out against a unified next-gen DVD format. The company's managing director indicated to Japan Today that its technology offers consumers the best value. Whichever side wins the battle, the next wave of DVD players will ship with blue lasers instead of red, and discs will have to have the ability to store high-definition movies.

But can Toshiba win against Sony in this matchup? It doesn't seem likely. Toshiba's public denials of a compromise only seem to strengthen the likelihood of an agreement. Sony looks ready to win this fight.

Search your feelings. You know it's true.

About the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.