While Toshiba originally intended to launch their HD DVD players in time for the holiday season, they were delayed due to some copy protection issues. If things go as planned, they will now hit the US market in March of 2006.
Toshiba Corporation today marked a major milestone in the history of the consumer electronics industry and the world of home entertainment with the announcement of the March 2006 commercial launch of the industry's first HD DVD players in the USA.

The new HD DVD players, HD-XA1 and HD-A1, take advantage of a wide range of advanced capabilities offered the HD DVD format, the next-generation DVD format defined by the DVD Forum. Both models offer superior high definition images, crystal clear audio, and the enhanced functionality delivered by such features as Advanced Navigation using "iHD."
Toshiba also plans to introduce a HD DVD-ROM equipped notebook computer in the Q1 of this year. If you'd like to read more, their entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Broadcom has announced that they've developed a High-Definition decoder chip for set-top boxes. With support for H.264 and VC-1, the chip is compliant with both the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM - News), a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors, today announced the industry's first high definition (HD) audio/video decoder chip that is fully compliant with the emerging Blu-ray(TM) and HD DVD(TM) optical disc formats. Compliance with Blu-ray and HD DVD formats permits the recording and playback of high definition video on blue laser-based optical disc media and drives. Broadcom's latest high definition decoder chip enables a new generation of consumer electronics devices that can decode compressed HD video stored on Blu-ray or HD DVD formatted discs.
If you'd like to read more, Broadcom's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment