Toshiba pulling the plug on HD DVD already? - Yup it's over.
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HZo2ltF6a4G_WKhYVIPnbw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTI3OQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/c701XbpUgZeGIWBNkyM63A--~B/aD0xNDY7dz0yMjA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/02/toshiba-hd-dvd-casa-2_small.jpg)
Japan's NHK has followed up The Hollywood Reporter's earlier indications Toshiba was ready to dump its money-losing HD DVD business, with news that the company is prepared to cease manufacturing software and hardware, at a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. This caps the worst week ever for red, when HD DVD was dumped by Netflix and Wal-mart, pushed to the background by Best Buy and put on -- an apparently incredibly short -- deathwatch right here. Toshiba is mum on the subject right now, but we hear there's plenty of cheap players and movies in a dumpster around back of the HQ.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; via Reuters; warning, Japanese read link]
Update: Along with an English translation of the NHK's article (Thanks sfditty!) comes additional confirmation from Reuters sources, it's a wrap. Toshiba is shutting down its DVD manufacturing facilities in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, while official word is expected "soon".