Toshiba is taking a final step down from the HD TV war and will enter the Blu-ray market, according to reports from Japanese newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The newspaper said the Japanese electronics manufacturer would introduce play-only models that read Blu-ray discs and DVDs by the end of the year. With the demise of HD DVD and rising Blu-ray sales Toshiba was under huge pressure to throw its support behind the victorious format.
Although it seems like the obvious choice for Toshiba, many will see it as a huge blow to the company that desperately fought the Blu-ray format with HD DVD. The company had tried various avenues, including releasing an enhanced DVD player, before succumbing to the prevailing standard.
Yomiuri also reported that its “sources” had said Toshiba was attempting to supersede Blu-ray with “next-generation” technology before finally accepting that the standard had become too big to ignore.
Although details from Toshiba are presently scant, many news sites are already quoting BD 18 as the model number of the new player.