Why did Toshiba really drop the HD-DVD Ball?

[The Kipnis Studios]

Just how is it possible that a major electronics manufacturer like Toshiba can have so completely missed the market and dropped the ball on HD-DVD?

Let's remember that it was Toshiba and Sony that got together to create DVD into the single handed success it was to become 11 years ago. Why did they choose to go for HD discs as a format in total opposition to Sony?

And why is the Western market the only place such technology could have flourished, but didn't?

[kennyt]

I honestly don't know, we here @ AVRev have discussed this to death, I myself started out as a die hard Blu-ray fan, Andrew was more into HD DVD. Over time, I had to admit HD DVD had an edge, their initial titles had better transfers, the players were, like Apple, proprietary, so they worked, and they were cheaper, though they lacked storage space relative to Blu-ray.

So I think it falls to studio support/titles, though HD DVD had many good titles, and even good old ones (I bought my first HD DVD player, the Toshiba HD-XA1 (total POS BTW)) when I found out Blazing Saddles came out on HD DVD, and though the format war is over, I still have a slot in my reference rig for my Toshiba HD-XA2, which is an off the charts good SD DVD scaler as well.

I have to go with what was my initial reason that Blu-ray should beat HD DVD, storage space, so that is my vote!

[The Kipnis Studios]

What I find so amazing is that Toshiba and Sony figured it out 11 years ago, and this - THIS surely fantastic time to bring on HD discs - totally failed for them and the entire multi-billion dollar format.

The only thing more absurd is NASA's capability with old space shuttles - and even my old Beta and VHS from about 1976 still play tapes and don't self destruct.

Now if we can just get Sony to end the endless Java Script updates. It still takes me 3 min 26 second to cue up Ratatouille on my BDP-S1, though the PS3 is good to go in about 57 seconds

[kennyt]

Originally Posted by The Kipnis Studios

It still takes me 3 min 26 second to cue up Ratatouille on my BDP-S1, though the PS3 is good to go in about 57 seconds

I think we all can agree, SOny had a unique opportunity with the PS3, namely game sales, so they sold a BLu-ray player that should have cost God only knows how much as a game system so you'd (well, I have!) buy the $59.99 games for it, and for many, TONS of games....

Game consoles have historically been sold at a loss as the games are so over priced, just look at GTA IV selling >$400 Million in a week when it cost $100 Million to make to see why they are willing to do this......

Toshiba I think tried this idea on HD DVD, but for whatever reason, it failed....

I still run the BDP-S1 in my main rig, as well as a PS3, the audio and video are better to me on the BDP-S1, so I will wait for the turn on time and load time for the quality.....

Now, something no one is griping about is the load time of PS3 games!!!

Grand Theft Auto IV takes several minutes to load!!! Clearly longer than most of my Blu-rays, especially with the newest firmware installed.!

[The Kipnis Studios]

I have similar problems with GT 5 - Prologue.

With so much technology and knowledge available, why are we seeing incomplete attempts at formats, again and again and again?

[TheMoose]

Originally Posted by The Kipnis Studios

I have similar problems with GT 5 - Prologue.

With so much technology and knowledge available, why are we seeing incomplete attempts at formats, again and again and again?

I'm not having any problems with load times on GT5P.
It takes less than 20 seconds from clicking the icon until the opening movie starts, I don't remember how long the load times of the off line races were because I haven't run anything but online races since I completed all the events but I don't remember them being that long.