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European HD DVD lobbyists claim '74-percent' market share
Nearly 11 months ago to the day, Europe witnessed its very first HD DVD release, and while the battle over format supremacy has been heated and rarely slanted to one corner here in the US, apparently things are vastly different across the pond. According to the (biased?) information spat out by the European HD DVD Promotional Group, "HD DVD players have outsold Blu-ray players by a three-to-one margin in Europe's main markets so far this year," and moreover, it claimed to hold a staggering "74-percent" of the market share in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland for standalone players. So, for those residing in the aforementioned lands, are things really this skewed, or does a certain lobbyist group have their numbers all fuzzed up?
HD DVD outsold Blu-ray 4 to 1 last year...in England
HD DVD might have lost the sales lead in the U.S. but like many acts that struggle for acceptance domestically, it can take solace in knowing that it's still topping European charts...for now. HDTV Org reports that UK figures show HD DVD outsold Blu-ray 4 to 1 in the period leading up to Christmas last year, helped by the fact that the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive was by far the most easily available HD player on the market. Unlike U.S. charts which have only provided ratios and no specific numbers, the British figures show just how small the market is at this point, with 8,200 HD DVD movies sold to Blu-ray's 1,834. We'll keep an eye on the market to see how it is affected by the launch of standalone players and the PlayStation 3 in March, and how well that tips the scales proportionally towards Blu-ray and how much total sales increase in general.
Toshiba's HD-E1 HD DVD player launches in Europe
HD DVD has finally touched down in Europe with the release of Toshiba's HD-E1 HD DVD player. For all intents and purposes identical to the second generation HD-A2 recently released in the U.S. it carries an MSRP of £450 and of course shares the HDMI 1.2 connector, slim design, 1080i output and lack of analog 5.1 outputs from its American cousin. The official Toshiba site mentions that at launch, the player will not be compatible with 25fps or 50hz encoded HD DVD titles, but will later after a firmware update, but its not clear if any such discs are available yet. A quick look at Amazon shows titles like V for Vendetta and Superman Returns ready to ship. Europe may have had to wait quite a while for HD DVD to hit but all in all are starting off with a much more refined product and pool of available titles to choose from. The high end HDMI 1.3-equipped 1080p-capable HD-XE1 is still set to ship in January, but we're really waiting to see what happens when Blu-ray movie exclusives in the U.S. become available on HD DVD in Europe via Studio Canal.[Via HDTV UK]
Toshiba second gen HD DVD players delayed worldwide
Toshiba just couldn't let Sony hog all the high-def DVD spotlight with its delays, so it has pushed back its second generation HD DVD players in the US and abroad. Despite the lack of an official statement from Toshiba US, a dealer on AVS Forum revealed that due to problems with a chip from a third party supplier, the lower-end HD-A2 HD DVD player originally due out right about... now has slipped into the second week of December. The HDMI 1.3-equipped, 1080p displaying $999 HD-XA2 is now scheduled to just barely make a 2006 release in the last week of the year. In Europe Toshiba has officially announced the delay, now anticipating a "quantity of units" of the rebadged HD-E1 due in December and the HD-XE1 slated for 2007. Second gen hardware is generally expected to atone for the bug-ridden sins of its predecessors, so hopefully a short delay now means avoiding a quick patch later. In the meantime there's always the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, or deciding which free HD DVDs to get.[Thanks, Max]Read - AVS ForumRead - Pocket-lint.co.uk
HD DVD set for December Australian launch
Toshiba has announced HD DVD standalone players will finally be available down under starting in December. Australia will receive the lower end second generation player announced for Europe, the HD-E1 while the HD-XE1 is expected in February. They'll be paying a pretty significant premium, with the HD-E1 starting at $1,099 AUD ($845 US), compared to the $499 HD-A2 player coming soon to the U.S. The HD-XE1 will run $1,599 ($1,230 US) for 1080p HDMI 1.3-enhanced playback. Blu-ray players and movies are supposedly already on the ground in Australia, a reversal of the rest of the world where HD DVD has beaten its competitor to market. We couldn't actually find the Samsung player for sale anywhere or an Australian price, but the Panasonic DMP-BD10 is listed on its Australian site for a mere $2,749 AUD. Ouch.
Toshiba brings 2nd-gen HD DVD action to the US
We've already seen these players get dolled up for their European release as the HD-E1 and HD-XE1, but now Toshiba is showing some love for North America with their new HD-A2 and HD-XA2 HD DVD players. No real surprises in this A1/XA2 followup, and not a whole lot of spec love. The main enhancement goes the the XA2, which can now output a full 1080p resolution, and includes HDMI version 1.3 for enhanced color and sound thanks to the doubled bandwidth. The best news is the pricetags: the HD-A2 will be out in October for $500, while the HD-XA2 should follow in December for $1,000. Not quite free, but a whole lot better than our friends over in Europe fared. Keep reading for live pics and some spec sheets.
Samsung announces BD-P1000 release for Europe
Much like Pioneer, Samsung is still bumming us out by not whipping up a combo Blu-ray and HD DVD player. But good ol' Sammy is announcing its first Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, to be released in Europe in October 2006, with price estimates reaching €1,400. It's due to go head-to-head with Toshiba's HD-E1 and HD-XE1, which ares due to come out the following month. Guys, can't we bury this hatchet already and just settle this war? It's obvious that building a hybrid player is entirely possible, and to motivate you to get on it we're officially going to sulk and go on hunger strike. Go on, try us.
Toshiba's HD-E1 & HD-XE1 HD DVD players for Europe: 1080p, HDMI 1.3
Definitely providing a look at what the follow ups to the HD-A1/XA1HD DVD players here will look like, Toshiba is prepping their HD-E1 and HD-XE1 players for Europe at IFA 2006. Other than sporting what appears to be a more compact design, the low end HD-E1 player due in November includes 720p/1080i output, HDMI 1.2, and support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio for 599 euros. The top of the line HD-XE1 player adds 1080p and HDMI 1.3 to the list of features when it releases in December. The lower end model will only output 2 channel audio via analog, while the more expensive player includes a 12bit/296MHzDAC and 5.1 analog audio output. HDTV UK has noted that the XE1 will include DVD upconversion to 1080p via HDMI, but neither player will include support for managed copy. Hopefully we'll learn more about these players and Toshiba's plans for the future after they are announced Saturday.[Thanks, WiFiSpy]Read - Toshiba HD-E1 and HD-XE1 players announced - AVS ForumRead - Toshiba Announces HD-E1,HD-XE1 HD DVD Players for Europe - Home Theater BlogRead - IFA 2006 Commences - ImpressRead - IFA 2006: Toshiba names its two HD DVD players for the UK - HDTV UK
