Toshiba announced the formation of an Australian HD DVD Consortium to promote the HD DVD optical disc format and hit back at Blu-ray. The new group includes members such as Intel and Microsoft as well as movie studios such as Warner Bros and Paramount.

According to Mark Whittard, Toshiba Information Systems Divison general manager, HD DVD Consortium members have been in regular weekly contact for the past two months to devise a strategy for a counter-campaign against Blu-ray, which has enjoyed significant publicity this year from brands including Pioneer, Sony, Samsung and Panasonic.

Toshiba claims to have sold in excess of 3,500 HD DVD players in the Australian market, which Whittard believes is significantly more than standalone Blu-ray players.

Last month, Sony Australia claimed over 90 per cent of HD disc movie sales to date have been Blu-ray. But reliable market data for hardware sales is hard to come by for the Australian market. According to NPG figures presented by Toshiba, HD DVD hardware sales are well ahead of Blu-ray with 55 per cent of sales to date in the USA and over 70 per cent in Europe.

However, Toshiba’s greatest challenge is from the Blu-ray-equipped PlayStation 3, which has sold well over 40,000 units in the Australian market alone. The figures presented by Toshiba did not include the PS3 consoles. (Source: Current.com.au)

Story filed 22.07.07