Toshiba Calls a Press Conference Set for Midnight PST

Who wants to start the countdown to the official end of the format war? According to The Digital Bits, Toshiba has scheduled a press conference at 5 PM Tokyo time, which is Midnight PST, where they are expected to put an end to the high-definition format war by pulling the plug on the ailing HD DVD format.

It's rumored that production of HD DVD hardware and software will cease immediately and the company will stop selling the products as early as March.

This is a far cry from earlier today when, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Toshiba announced that a decision hadn't yet been made on the future of HD DVD.

"There have been many reports in the media over the weekend, but Toshiba has not made a decision on the future of the HD DVD and we are currently assessing the market and reviewing future strategy," company spokeswoman Junko Furuta said in The Hollywood Reporter article.

It appears they didn't need to assess and review for that long. Don't be surprised to see announcements from Universal and Paramount going to Blu-Ray within the next few days. It looks like this thing is really over.

We'll post the official statement from Toshiba as soon as we get our hands on it from the press conference tonight. Keep your eyes peeled, folks.

Date：2008-3-20　【Return】