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Warner Brothers, one of the only companies to sell high definition DVDs in both formats, has finally picked sides with Sony.
Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group, believes that the two formats have caused "consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry. Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognising this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience."
Clearly reeling from the revelation, Toshiba said in a statement: "We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD-DVD partner companies and evaluate potential next steps. We remain firm in our belief that HD-DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of the consumer."
Toshiba’s first action following the news was to cancel its Sunday evening press conference at the CES, citing the timing of the Warner Brothers announcement, which hasn’t given the company time to respond.
However, despite fears over HD-DVD’s future, Toshiba still revealed the Qosmio G45-AV690, the first notebook to feature a HD DVD-R/RW drive.
“The Qosmio continues to lead the computer industry in terms of high-definition capabilities by bringing many of the most advanced technologies together into a solid and cohesive machine,” said Toshiba’s Jeff Barney.
The Qosmio G45-AV690 is available stateside for $3,199
