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Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

post #1 of 14
2/19/08 at 2:17pm
Thread Starter 
So Toshiba threw in the towel. Ok, I understand the format war is pretty much over. Now, the question is, will Toshiba manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's? I think that would be a really handy feature. I also think a Toshiba made Blu-Ray player will probably work well too. I don't know the details of the format war, so I don't know whether or not a) Toshiba is legally able to produce a Blu-Ray player now? or b) Toshiba will want to make a Blu-Ray player. I would think they would want to, or risk no longer being a major part of disc based movie software for the next few years. If Toshiba is somehow legally un-able to produce a Blu-Ray player now, perhaps this situation could change due to an "agreement". Of course, we all know what that means. The oh so painful sting of Toshiba buying the rights to manufacture Blu-Ray players.

I know Toshiba has said that they have no plans to make a BD player, but it is still a possibility in the future.

So, any idea's?
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post #2 of 14
2/19/08 at 3:44pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Being able to produce a BD player would simply be a matter of licencing the technology from the patent owners (in this case, Sony). Sony did the same thing for years with both VHS and DVD, and in the case of DVD, was licencing from Toshiba. I don't think there's a legal issue here.

Sony, at the time of Beta's general demise, stated they had no plans to produce VHS equipment. That lasted about a year.

What I want to see from Toshiba is a combo player. If anyone can bring that technology to market at an affordable level, Toshiba is among the top contenders.
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post #3 of 14
2/19/08 at 4:05pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Toshiba may end up eventually making Blu-ray players, but the company pointedly said in its statement today that it would not be developing any more HD DVD players. That would seem to indicate that Toshiba would not be producing any dual-format players. With no new titles coming out on HD DVD, the appeal would be limited to the relative handful of early adopters.
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post #4 of 14
2/19/08 at 4:06pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

I'd love to see a Tosh combo player announced asap. Then I could go on a clearance-priced HDD shopping spree (and just wait for that Tosh player to arrive, instead of for Universal, et al to get up to speed w/ Blu-ray).

_Man_
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post #5 of 14
2/19/08 at 9:46pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

I guess the price of HD DVD's and player may not drop into oblivion since they are now collector item's and very useful to people who are going to be scooping up the remaining HD-DVD's... I wonder what the studio's release lists for HD-DVD look like now! I am tempted to go looking for HD-DVD deals now
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post #6 of 14
2/19/08 at 9:47pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Man, you read my mind, although I'm coming at it from the other side of the fence (A30 owner and a fan of Toshiba products generally).
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post #7 of 14
2/20/08 at 12:54am

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Toshiba is the 51% owner of the joint venture they started with Samsung, back in 2004, making optical-memory equipment. Read: CD- and DVD-drives and the like.

They probably already have the patent secured (Samsung made BD-players and a combo player and a new version of that one was announced for September this year).


Cees
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post #8 of 14
2/20/08 at 3:12am

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

I doubt that Toshiba will be making any more HD DVD-players, not even the combo-ones. Their latest message for the sharaholders was quite clear; Toshiba is out from the HD DVD-game, which has brought them mainly losses.
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post #9 of 14
2/20/08 at 5:39am

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Maybe they will get into Blu-Ray?

Sony to sell chip facility to Toshiba for $835 mln | Reuters
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post #10 of 14
2/20/08 at 6:33am

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

I don't think there's any doubt that Toshiba will eventually manufacture a Blu Ray player. Although DVD is here to stay for a few more years, Blu will eventually replace it. There is no way that Toshiba will stay out of the game.
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post #11 of 14
2/21/08 at 2:49pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Im browsing Blu-ray players now, and i see them offered by multiple manufacturers, which tells me that Toshiba could just as easily build them by license. I would imagine that it would be in Toshiba's best interest to jump in and build them, as well as to capitalize on the remaining HD-DVD market. Toshiba would probably be the preferred combo player if that did happen.

BTW, this is my first post here and there is quite a lot I have learned from browsing around. Thanks for all the info
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post #12 of 14
2/21/08 at 7:21pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Allen

Very interesting indeed. So Toshiba will become the one making Cell chips for Sony's PS3 going forward?? Maybe they will make that stripped down HDM version of the PS3 that Sony's not going to (as I had wondered aloud previously).

Hmmm... Would this be Sony's "olive branch" to Toshiba? I wonder if and how much of a discount Sony is giving Toshiba on this sale...

_Man_
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post #13 of 14
2/26/08 at 12:10pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jasc15
Im browsing Blu-ray players now, and i see them offered by multiple manufacturers, which tells me that Toshiba could just as easily build them by license. I would imagine that it would be in Toshiba's best interest to jump in and build them, as well as to capitalize on the remaining HD-DVD market. Toshiba would probably be the preferred combo player if that did happen.

BTW, this is my first post here and there is quite a lot I have learned from browsing around. Thanks for all the info
Welcome aboard Joe....guys around here are real friendly. Just jump on in whenever you feel like it.
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post #14 of 14
2/26/08 at 10:08pm

Re: Will Toshiba be able to manufacture a Blu-Ray player? Will it play HD-DVD's?

Yes, welcome Joe.

I see Toshiba eventually producing BD players, but I wouldn't expect to see any announced until CEDIA (September) at the earliest. It wouldn't be that hard to adapt their hardware, but they would either have to license someones software or develop their own which is the hard part. I don't see them doing a combo player, it just doesn't make sense since after June no new releases will come to HD DVD. With new A3s going for under $90 get one of those and get a BD player. You can always duct tape them together for a "home brewed" combo player .
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