High Definition Optical Disc Format War

High Definition Optical Disc Format War

A format war took place in 2002 - 2008 between the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD optical disc standards for storing high definition video and audio.

These standards emerged between 2000 and 2003 and attracted both the mutual and exclusive support of major consumer electronics manufacturers, personal computer manufacturers, television and movie producers and distributors, and software developers.

Blu-ray and HD DVD players became commercially available starting in 2006. In early 2008, the war was decided when several studios and distributors shifted to Blu-ray disc. On February 19, 2008, Toshiba officially announced that it would stop the development of the HD DVD players, conceding the format war to the Blu-ray Disc format.

Read more about High Definition Optical Disc Format War:  Background, Attempts To Avoid A Format War, Alliances, Deciding Factors, Toshiba Announcement and Aftermath

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