Toshiba: "no plans" to adopt Blu-ray

In the Q&A session following Toshiba's HD DVD dumping event in Japan, Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation made a bit of a surprise announcement. While it remains committed to standard DVD, they have "no plan at all at this moment" to take up the Blu-ray format. He also stated that Tosh has no plans for a next-next gen format at all. Perhaps they are just licking their wounds until HD downloads become a reality.

[Robots, Take Over, Please @ Feb 19th 2008 3:36AM]

They're just trying to bury insult with insult.

[Bobby @ Feb 19th 2008 7:48AM]

actually I trust Toshiba not Sony after its history of planting spyware rootkits in computer appliances. I will make sure all my next PCs, laptops do not have BlueRay. Remember that dumb consumers always pick worse format as history proves

[Isaac @ Feb 19th 2008 3:36AM]

Why

[karts41 @ Feb 19th 2008 3:47AM]

Because, for example, when you break up with your girlfr...

Oh,no, dont worry.

You wont understand.

[monkfishbandana @ Feb 19th 2008 11:46AM]

Wow, seems like Isaac can take jokes well...

[Kyran @ Feb 19th 2008 1:43PM]

Speaking of awkward relationships, doesn't Toshiba manufacture Cell procs for the most popular blu-ray player in the market? Doesn't that make them a major contributor?

[nebulus @ Feb 19th 2008 3:38AM]

That image is in appalling taste engadget.....

[nak @ Feb 19th 2008 3:47AM]

Engadget has a tendency to change the images accompanying stories. But in this case, I think they chose the right one.

[nebulus @ Feb 19th 2008 3:58AM]

@ nak "In this case they choose the right one?"

What crazy planet are you living on, its totally inappropriate!

About 70,000 people were killed as a direct result of the blast, and a similar number injured and later died from radioactive fallout.

Truly disgusting, what next gags about the holocaust or 9/11 ???

[nak @ Feb 19th 2008 4:06AM]

I won't call it a swift end, but do you really think without such an attack that the war wouldn't have gone one for decades?

70,000 or even 140,000 lives is never an acceptable price. But I'd hate to see what would have happened with conventional weapons with people on both sides losing lives year after year after year.

[Jimbo @ Feb 19th 2008 4:11AM]

IT is inappropriate to use this pic, but the bombing itself was against the most evil nation ever to exist, the Japanese Empire of rape, racism, and torture that sought to completely erase entire cultures and was fairly successful.

Japan today is a great nation thanks to the grace of the victors of WWII, but the Japan that got bombed had it coming. The people were tolerant of true evil, in fact.

But still, those bombs were very bloody indeed, and I see no reason to use them, especially when Japan today is the focus of the story. Japan today doesn't deserve that kind of insult.

[Ryan Block @ Feb 19th 2008 4:15AM]

Ok -- time to end it here. It was our lame attempt at being clever, not some grand (or totally ill-informed, insensitive) political statement. Move the conversation on, please.

[nebulus @ Feb 19th 2008 4:21AM]

@ nak

Can't you see that trivializing the deaths of many thousands of people is inappropriate for what _is_ a trivial story about a company's future plans.

The question here is not about whether dropping the bomb was right, its whether using an altered image to make a joke and trivialize such things. Which I and I'm glad to see several others here have taken offense to.

[Elevator @ Feb 19th 2008 4:20AM]

What? Too soon?

I think its funny.

Not everything needs to bee 100% politically correct. It's all in good fun as a joke.

Keep it.

[Jon @ Feb 19th 2008 4:22AM]

Sorry Ryan, still incredibly lame and insensitive. Sure Japan of the past were run by evil evil people (part of my family were victims to them), but many countless innocent lives were also in the two bombs.

To take a picture as important as this and turn it into some kind of mocking humour is awful.

[Jon @ Feb 19th 2008 4:32AM]

"countless innocent lives were also lost in the two bombs."

[Paulmichael @ Feb 19th 2008 4:37AM]

What? An image on the INTERNET that offends some people? What have we become? Not a slight joke of an event that happened over 60 years ago! It's too soon...Remember Ogrish? Now that site had class.
/sarcasm

[Jon @ Feb 19th 2008 4:41AM]

If I want to be offended I will visit those offensive sites. When I wanted to read about tech related news I come here. The purpose you see, to read about tech related news.

Not to view an incredibly bad taste picture that trivialised the death of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom continue to suffer today. This isn't about political correctness, this is about having good judgement.

[Lifelion @ Feb 19th 2008 4:46AM]

Agree

[Geir E @ Feb 19th 2008 5:51AM]

It is very American to be "political correct" and "Can't do anything that might offend people". But dear lord, that only lead to more rasism and less understanding.

If someone says that the atom bombs over the two japaneese cities was not bad, that is an insult to the families of the victims and the memories of them. But to use the plane that dropped the first bomb - in a way that symbols the fact that just with one "bomb" (The news of dropped studio support) was enough for the whole debate over which format should prevail to be over - THAT is not offensive. That just remind people of what happened so people will not forget the cruelty our parents or grandparents generation had to suffer.

To give a very good example of other "images" from the ww2 that still is in use today I can mention is Vidkun Quisling. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidkun_Quisling for the story ) - and today Quisling is now a word that means traitor.

So let us not forget, but let us not limit ourself to remember only by the words in the history books.

[J. sykes @ Feb 19th 2008 7:28AM]

Would have to agree with neb.

Bad form, gadget.

[Jake Tobak @ Feb 19th 2008 8:40PM]

I concur with with Nebulus. Hopefully some people who didn't understand the reference have looked it up on Wikipedia and learned something though.

[fivepoint @ Feb 19th 2008 10:04AM]

Shut your liberal commie mouths and get over your bullsh*t political correctness hippie bandwagon. You can disagree over the image but censorship is never the answer.

I'm offended that you take offense. Please stop immediately.

I've got a few dead babie jokes in the waiting if you guys don't 'get it' yet.

[Gulo gulo @ Feb 19th 2008 10:35AM]

Jimbo spoke: ""the Japanese Empire of rape, racism, and torture that sought to completely erase entire cultures and was fairly successful.""

sound a tad like the USA that does it not, if you do call anything in the middle or far east culture. (yes I know, you probably don't.)

first of all, the Japanese ambitions and rapid expansion was due mostly to the forceful intrusion of (primarily) America for it's trade interest. (yes it is so, just open up the non corrected history books kids..)

also, the US public seem to have little problem with American soldiers raping kids and killing civilians. real torture is ok too, they are terrorists after all! (probably) and this not being 60 years ago, it is today in Japan and Iraq. (yes it is so, just read up on the less foxy news kids..)

so because of this and because you (as Americans) don't overthrow your evil government to stop all this it must be fair to say the USA should get it too, Jericho style. no? ;)

[Jimbo @ Feb 20th 2008 9:39AM]

Gulo gulo,

Are you seriously comparing the US's historically gentle, though certainly debatable and messy actions in Iraq to the Japanese Empire?

And are you really blaming the Japanese Empire's horrors on American expansion?

Care to explain specifically what America did that excuses the millions slaughtered and raped? You'd have to be pretty psycho to blame America for Japanese mistakes in WWII. And pretty ignorant.

You need to look at the facts.

By the way, I am middle eastern. America is a melting pot of many cultures. I don't like everything the US is doing in Iraq, etc, but to compare that with the Japanese Empire, perhaps the most evil nation in world history, is insane. You do realize that America at least tries to reduce harm to civilians, right? How is that like forcing entire Armies to rape all women in entire regions of another nation? Or to enslave a nation and demand they erase their language while burning down all their temples?

so frustrating that there are so many totally ignorant people out there.

[TigerShark @ Feb 19th 2008 3:38AM]

They are in denial, watch they will come through.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Feb 19th 2008 2:38PM]

This is the corporate equivalent of calling Sony Cootie-Queens.

[webon @ Feb 19th 2008 3:39AM]

I call BS on them

[Jon @ Feb 19th 2008 3:40AM]

Their loss. I was hoping to see what they sort of competition they could bring to the market with their own Blu-Ray players.

[Jakob @ Feb 19th 2008 3:40AM]

Of course they'll join the BDA when the time is right, but two bad news for the HD-DVD at the same day.

But thumbs up for Toshiba! What about Paramount and Universal? (They'll continue to release their movies exclusive on HD-DVD :P)

[derX @ Feb 19th 2008 3:40AM]

*coughs* Sore losers. *coughs*

Guess what, guys. The conference was recorded and put on an HD DVD....not that'll you'll be able to play those anymore.

*puts HD DVD player next to VCR, mini Disc player (remember those?), and 8 track*

[Jon @ Feb 19th 2008 3:44AM]

MiniDiscs has been in existence for 16 years. Blanks are even still sold at my supermarket. HD-DVD lasted only 2 years!

[derX @ Feb 19th 2008 3:52AM]

Shhhhh, Jon, you'll make *them* feel bad.

*turns to Toshiba*

They were an especially long 2 years, you should be proud.

....they didn't even see the duration of the president's tenure.

[Joel @ Feb 19th 2008 3:41AM]

The more important question is whether or not Microsoft is interested in adopting Blu-Ray. Toshiba has to worry about making up the hundreds of millions of dollars they have lost.

[Matt @ Feb 19th 2008 3:49AM]

Tosshy are the third biggest (largest income) manufacturer of semi-conductors in the world. Way above Sony (8th ish).

They're a rich company, few losses is nothing to them. They have money in just about everything, from notebooks to DVDs, to TVs. They'll make it up in no-time.

Microsoft may; they said a while back that although there weren't any plans they might consider it if thats what the consumers wanted. I'd expect they will, but wouldn't be too surprised if they didn't, they may just want to push for the Xbox downloading media.

[Dominic @ Feb 19th 2008 3:43AM]

.."He also stated that Tosh has plans for a next-next gen format at all" . did you mean "no plans" since by the wording it seems like it would be that way...

[nak @ Feb 19th 2008 3:43AM]

How about a post for all the other sentences uttered at this press conference. I'm sure engadget can come up with a few pics and paragraphs to write about these gems:

"[For early adopters] there will be always be a risk in buying, that is how it works in the US."

Toshiba hates the US and the US legal system.

"From an objective, fair point of view, we were clearly in a good place until last December and January."

Toshiba obviously learned very little in those months.

and of course

"There was a difficult decision. Multiple standards have a huge impact on consumers."

Toshiba says blu-ray hurt consumers.

[carl Finlow @ Feb 19th 2008 3:45AM]

i think it's in very poor taste that you use a picture of Enola Gay in jest when dealing with a story related to Japan and a Japanese company.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Feb 19th 2008 3:48AM]

Yeah, that's totally not cool. Aren't Sony and Panasonic Japanese as well? The picture doesn't make sense to me.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Feb 19th 2008 3:49AM]

Sy beat me to it...

[Sy @ Feb 19th 2008 3:46AM]

I gotta say Engadget ...that image with the Enola Gay is in really bad taste, considering Toshiba and Sony are two Japanese companies

[Andy @ Feb 19th 2008 4:00AM]

I have to agree the use of the image is insulting beyond belief. Please have it removed and some sort of apology would be nice..

Stunningly insensitive...

Nice one Engadget

[Alex R @ Feb 19th 2008 4:04AM]

And Samsung, not that they have anything to do with this conversation. Don't some companies give themselves japanese-sounding names in order to look like they are high quality?
Matsui?

[Ryan Block @ Feb 19th 2008 4:16AM]

These companies were at war with each other, don't read too far into this.

[Dave B @ Feb 19th 2008 7:54AM]

Ryan, why do you keep defending the image instead of just removing it? The fact is, it's poor taste. Thankfully (or I should say hopefully) the Japanese are intelligent and may shrug it off. But in all honesty, I bet there's still bitterness to the bombs especially. Next time maybe a Blue-Ray disk sticking out of the Twin Towers. Class.

[asc99c @ Feb 19th 2008 9:09AM]

Alex, it's pretty standard for UK companies to have foreign sounding names cos no one believes we can make anything decent. Saisho is the same UK company also.

We also have hugely productive and very profitable cars designed and built in the UK, but they're all Japanese. No one would touch Rovers and even Jaguars have never really had mainstream success, but the most popular Hondas and Nissans are mostly British cars.

Maybe it's just our management that's hopeless. The Japanese guys at the Honda UK plants seem way better than English managers.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Feb 19th 2008 3:46AM]

Toshiba will first join the BDA before it announces anything blu-ray related, so this is no surprise.

[Ebola @ Feb 19th 2008 4:04AM]

What's with this picture Thomas Ricker? Did you not learn history?
You might of well posted a picture of the World trade center falling over and Typed HD-DVD on it.
Classy to say the least...

[Kiyo @ Feb 19th 2008 4:19AM]

Dear Engadget, you pulled a Gizmodo.
I find the picture of the Enola Gay appalling and with incredibly bad taste to think that
the format war can be compared to the dropping of the first atomic weapon killing thousands and continues to torture thousands even to this day.
I hope you publish a public apology to the victims of Hiroshima because I plan to show this to them.
You fail Engadget, to the editors, you all fail for having absolutely no conscience.
Like Gizmodo, I won't subscribe anymore to your site for having no moral compass.

[ZeroCorpse @ Feb 19th 2008 5:08AM]

Lighten up, Francis.

Perhaps they should have made it one of the warplanes that attacked Pearl Harbor, instead?

That was over fifty years ago. Let the baby boomers whine about it if they want to.