With the end of HD DVD, consumers should expect the firmware updates for their existing HD DVD players to cease.  However, Microsoft is giving those HD DVD lovers one more thrill.  The next time you play an HD DVD disc you will be prompted to update the drive (assuming you are connected to the internet).

Onkyo Corporation has decided that Onkyo will discontinue the development and production of HD DVD players. Onkyo has distributed and sold approximately 2000 units of the HD DVD players in the selected markets due to the growth of the large screen display market and high demand for home entertainment media. Onkyo has reached its decision to discontinue the development and production of HD DVD players after thorough review of Toshiba’s public announcement “Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses” on February 19, 2008. As Onkyo manufactures HD DVD players with core parts supplied by Toshiba, it will be difficult for Onkyo to continue its further development and production of HD DVD players. Despite this decision, Onkyo will continue to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Onkyo HD DVD players.

For much of the HD disc format war Microsoft’s Xbox 360 represented one of the most stable and the most affordable options for consumers to try HD DVD. Unlike Sony’s Playstation 3, which is based specifically on the Blu-ray platform, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 game console requires an external drive to play HD movies and today the HD DVD partner announced they will no longer will be making the drive for HD DVD. Don’t expect Xbox 360 to switch its drive to Blu-ray any time soon, but the switcheroo comes only a little more than a week after HD DVD’s main supporter, Toshiba, announced they are throwing in the towel on the format.

Seemingly the only people who couldn’t see this coming after Warner Bros.' “Blu-Friday” announcement was Toshiba, who in a post Consumer Electronics Show press release said they would continue to fight on in the HD disc format war. Today, only a little more than a month after those supposed fighting words, Toshiba pulled the plug on the HD DVD project, leaving early adopters and loyalists to the format stinging with betrayal. They did little other than run a multi-million dollar Super Bowl TV ad and slash already low prices on players to keep their format afloat in their most troubled times.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. today announced that it is stepping up its successful marketing campaign for HD DVD as it experienced record-breaking unit sales in the fourth quarter of 2007. Major initiatives, including joint advertising campaigns with studios and extended pricing strategies will begin in mid-January and are designed to spotlight the superior benefits of HD DVD as well as the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer’s current DVD library by upconverting standard DVDs via the HDMI™ output to near high definition picture quality.