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Toshiba has released a firmware update for their HD-XA1 HD-DVD player, which is said to improve disc “reading efficiency”. I would assume this update specifically addresses the slow load times some Toshiba owners have reported.

Now for the bad news, this particular update is for Japanese HD-XA1’s only it would appear. However I would reason an English version of the update can’t be far behind.

Source: Toshiba Japan

A quick note about updating Toshiba HD-DVD players: The players can be updated by one of two methods; either by attaching the player to an internet connection or requesting a firmware update disk from Toshiba as they become available.

R.Hollis

If you were looking for that last little bit of incentive to invest in HD-DVD or Blu-ray, this promotion just might be for you. Amazon is offering a 10% discount on all HD-DVD and Blu-ray titles for a full year, with a qualifying purchase.

Purchase any qualifying item(s) now, and within 72 hours you will be enrolled to save 10% on all HD DVD and Blu-ray disc purchases for one year from the date of your qualifying order (total value limited to $5,000 in total purchases or $500 in total discounts).

Qualifying items include the following:

Any high-definition television (HDTV)
Any HD DVD player: see the Toshiba HD-A1 and the Toshiba HD-XA1
Any Blu-ray disc player: see the Sony BDP-S1
Three high-definition DVDs purchased in one order: specifically, HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs

Check out the full offer here.

R.Hollis

From Joystiq:

3:25 pm - Peter Moore: The Xbox 360 HD DVD player. The initial run of Toshiba players sold out within a few days. I’d like to announce that today; the Xbox 360 player will be available this holiday season.

The big as yet unanswered question is will the add-on have an HDMI output. In all honesty no HDMI equals a no-go for me. I’m not interested in watching downrezzed HD via a game console.

R.Hollis

I?ve received several emails from readers stating that they?ve had trouble finding HD-DVD players. A few indicated many of their local retailers had sold out of both players and titles just a few days after launch on April 18th.

One particular reader apparently asked the magic question of ?when will you have more in stock?? and was kind enough to forward the answer onto me. It looks like April 28th will bring in the first re-stock of HD-DVD players and titles as well as a second round of titles namely: Doom and Apollo 13 on April 25th.

R.Hollis

So HD-DVD is about a week away from launch here in the United States and several vendors are reporting their entire pre-order allotments are already spoken for, what?s a HD-DVD fan to do in hopes of securing a unit? Well you could always try the big chains (BestBuy and alike) or if your really in a gambling mood you could try to win one!

Toshiba is running a contest and the grand prize is:

A Toshiba High Definition Entertainment System, including a 62? HD TV (62HM195) with stand and Toshiba?s HD-A1 HD-DVD player and a Sponsor selected collection of twelve (12) Universal Studios DVD?s

Not bad for answering a few trivia questions I?d say. You?re allowed to play once a day but so far I?m zero for three, oh well there?s always tomorrow right?

R.Hollis

Sanyo has been a member of the Blu-Ray Disc Association, apparently since late April, and word is now coming out as too why. Sanyo plans on producing components that will support the dueling formats, according to Ryan Watson spokesman for Sanyo. He also stated that Sanyo has been planning from the get go to produce blue laser, lens heads for both formats but that they still plan on creating consumer based players only on HD-DVD. Well that might be the plans for now, but I bet that they will come out with some type of dual player, since they are manufacturing the optical pick-ups for both formats.

The funny thing about all this is that neither BDA nor Sanyo has made any formal announcement of this happening. Is this another rumor spreading because the wait of a next-gen format is becoming too unbearable for some, like the Blu-ray/HD-DVD compromise? Or is this just one of those, ?Let?s keep this on the down low for a while??

Whether this ?rumor? is true or not, Sanyo will win either way because they seem to understand that format wars don?t always have a victor. It is also a great business strategy if you ask me, a really smart decision on Sanyo part probably due to some restructuring back in April.

Some news sites are still expecting a winner of this format war, but I think it is safe to say that by now a winner will not be declared. Both formats will be in the market place and consumers will have to decide what they want to spend their monies on. More than likely other companies that have vowed their loyalty to one side, will follow suit in becoming ?swingers?.

R.Hollis

Toshiba’s president acknowledged that a unified high definition DVD format is likely, but also indicated the consumer will decide which of the two current candidates will become that ?one format? not the respective companies themselves. Gee thanks for the news flash. This is why the unification talks have been so annoying thus far; the hot air smothers any real possibility of compromise.

To be completely honest I?m getting tired of even commenting on the unification ?news? as there isn?t any. Until a deal is signed by both Sony and Toshiba, all the chatter is nothing but hyperbole. The sad part is we?ll likely hear this type of banter all summer/fall long, maybe by winter we?ll all be able to see the obviousness that is two formats will clog the marketplace well into 2006.

Michael.G

TDK announces 100GB Blu-ray disk, Panasonic tells Toshiba to back down, and Star Wars Episode III was actually good. What is going on here?

TDK announced it has succeeded in creating a Blu-Ray disc which will use 4 layers to store data, each layer with a capacity of 25GB, totaling 100GB. If the new format is approved by the BDA, the first 100 GB Blu-Ray discs won?t appear until 2007. Ok now, the ?mine is bigger than yours? aspect of this tiff is getting ridiculous. I thought that was an American thang.

If Blu-ray was so convinced that it has the bigger and better format, then why is Kunio Nakamura, Panasonic pres., so adamant on HD-DVD yielding? According to Nakamura it is up to Toshiba Corp. to yield, making clear that Matsushita and its partner Sony Corp. won’t budge in the negotiations.

It seems both camps don?t want to contest to the other and both think they have the better format. Therefore, how can anyone believe that Toshiba and Sony are going to compromise on a unified format? It?s just blind hope coming from us consumers, who don?t want to lose out on the best hi-def DVD experience possible. But the main question is not are they going to unify? What you should be asking is does this 100GB disc give Sony a higher advantage of dominating the HD market?

According to various news sites, “the launching of this disc comes only to give Blu-Ray an even bigger edge over HD-DVD regarding storage capacity.” Yes regarding storage capacity but if that was the deciding factor in this format-war, there would not be a war. When Toshiba came out with the 45GB 3 layer HD-DVD a couple of weeks ago, no one was praising their efforts of coming within 5GB of Blu-ray.

So why is 100GB such a big achievement, because Sony made it? When it comes down to HD movies and content, you are not going to need 100GB. Plus this 100GB disc has the propensity to be fragile and delicate and cost so much that the movie studios, who will still decide the winner of this battle, are not going to touch it. Sony and Panasonic will dominate the data storage industry, which is what a 100GB disc is needed for, not for movie watching.

R.Hollis

All the reports are coming in now that Toshiba?s chief negotiator in the “peace talks” between Sony and Toshiba is quoted as saying that unifying the two formats “would be extremely difficult at this stage.” No, really? I’m glad somebody in Toshiba realized it or at least is finally quoted as saying it.

Yoshihide Fujii, is also quoted as saying that “the Sony side failed to provide enough evidence that its format has a clear advantage over ours in terms of cost and range of applications.” And, “We (Toshiba) won’t give up the idea of forging a unified format.” Ok. Well, I guess we will just wait and see what will happen tomorrow with this on-going saga.

R.Hollis

Well, it seems as though I too took the plunge in believing that Toshiba & Sony were going to make all our dreams come true, in the next-gen DVD format war that is. I should have known that this was all smoke and mirrors when only one paper (but a relatively reliable paper) was the source for all this gossip.

Now Toshiba has come out with a press release simply stating that no hybrid format between HD-DVD & Blu-ray is in the works. They have confirmed the hush hush talks and a higher capacity disc of their own though, which leads me to believe that the Nihon Keizai Shimbun wasn?t completely off with their exclusive story. The paper just jumped to a conclusion that we all accepted without a second look.

The new addition to the HD-DVD family is the 45GB triple layer (that?s right, triple layer) disc which will be presented at the HD-DVD workshop on May 11, at the Media-Tech Expo 2005 in Las Vegas. This slap in the face to Sony will allow you to record about 12 hours worth of HD programming. Toshiba will also be unveiling a double sided, hybrid disc which will incorporate a dual layer HD-DVD ROM side and a dual-layer DVD ROM side. It will be able to store 30GB of HD on one side and 8.5GB of SD on the other.

Toshiba even has an independent disc replicator ready to go with manufacturing on the new HD-DVD 45GB and hybrid. The 45GB HD-DVD ROM may not hold as much as the Blu-ray?s 50GB but Toshiba is looking like they need Sony less and less

R.Hollis

Sony and Toshiba are still in “talks” regarding the possible hybrid of their next-gen DVD formats. The unified format is expected to have the best of both technologies. Toshiba will supply their data transfer software & copyright protection, which is why Hollywood loved HD-DVD, and Sony will supply, well Blu-ray. Basically it will be a Blu-ray disc with HD-DVD copyright protection which makes the movie studios happy and hopefully the consumer too.

Apparently, both companies are expected to make an announcement this month before the “meeting of manufactures involved in the manufacture of next-generation DVDs”, some news sources have indicated. Yeah, that might be a good idea, to announce a hybrid of the two formats before the manufacturers get together and discuss manufacturing.

R.Hollis