Toshiba's decision to pull the plug on HD-DVD and leave the market to Blu-ray means there are hundreds of thousands of unhappy HD-DVD customers who invested in players and discs that are now effectively obsolete (Paul Sakuma/AP)

Toshiba President and CEO Atsutoshi Nishida speaks to the media after a press conference in Tokyo on Feb. 19, where the company announced that it will no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders. (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP)

The high-definition DVD format war appears to be over: Toshiba announced Feb. 19 that it would stop making HD-DVD machines at the end of March, leaving the rival Blu-ray format the clear winner. Toshiba's decision also means there are hundreds of thousands of unhappy HD-DVD customers who invested in players and discs that are now effectively obsolete.

Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters Tuesday that the turning point for his company was the January decision by Warner Bros. Entertainment to release films exclusively in the Blu-ray format.

"That had tremendous impact," he said. "If we had continued, that would have created problems for consumers, and we simply had no chance to win."

The Warner Brothers announcement, however, was just one in a string of recent defeats for the Toshiba- and Microsoft-backed disc format. U.S.-based online DVD rental service Netflix and retail chains Wal-Mart and Best Buy announced earlier this month they would soon sell Blu-ray exclusively.

It had been widely rumoured for weeks that Toshiba would pull the plug on its HD-DVD business, but what of those who bought HD-DVD players before the war was resolved? With Toshiba expected to leave the market to Blu-ray, CBCNews.ca spoke to a number of HD-DVD owners prior to Toshiba's official announcement Tuesday and found a cross-section of thinking on the battle and how its outcome would affect their future buying decisions.

Ian Davidson, 45, engineer in Toronto

When did you buy your HD-DVD player, and what kind is it?
I bought it over the holidays. It's a Toshiba. The only reason I went with HD-DVD is because it was on sale at the time and it was about half the price of any of the Blu-ray players. It was a bit of a flip of a coin and it could have gone either way at that point.

Did you know about the disc format war going in, and how did it weigh on your decision to buy?
Yes, I did. I just knew my odds were 50-50 at the time. I really wanted a high-def format and it was the more affordable one at the time. I even said to my friends, "I probably made the wrong decision," but I still went ahead and bought it.

Would you describe yourself as an early adopter — someone who buys gadgets early in their life cycle?
No. I'll typically wait, but I purchased a high-def TV over the holidays, too, and I really wanted a high-def DVD player, so it was a bit of an impromptu purchase.

Do you feel burned at all?
No, not really, only because I was aware of the situation [the disc format battle]. I took a gamble and now I feel like, yeah, I probably did make the wrong decision. If I wasn't educated on it and purchased it and found out what was going on after, I probably would have been a little more upset. I rolled the dice and came up on the short end. I'll stop buying them [the discs] and I have a few I can watch, but I guess I'll be looking for a Blu-ray player some time in the near future.

Will your HD-DVD experience change your future buying decisions?
It's definitely going to make me a little more aware. I'm the type of person who usually tries to educate themselves before a purchase, but I won't approach it so haphazardly next time if I'm investing hundreds of dollars. It's better to wait. I have a lot of friends who have been waiting and it seems like now they're about to make their decision. That's the smarter way to go. I was a little too impulsive, but who knew? Who knew how long this was going to go on?

Michael Petel, 23, city worker for Montreal

When did you buy your HD-DVD player, and what kind is it?
I bought it, a Toshiba, on January 9, a day after the Warner Bros. announcement. I lined up for four and a half hours on Boxing Day at Futureshop to get it because it was $99 and it came with two movies in the box and five movies in a rebate. I figured seven movies and a player that plays regular DVDs and it upconverts [them to high-definition].… But I didn't get it. So after four and a half hours of freezing to death, I complained to Futureshop and they gave me a rain check. They called me the day after the Warner Bros. announcement, so I decided to go and get it. I'm still waiting for my free movies in the mail.

An HD-DVD video disc of 'The Bourne Supremacy,' alongside a Blu-ray disc of 'Superman Returns.' (Reed Saxon/ Associated Press)

Did you know about the format war going in, and how did it weigh on your decision to buy?
Oh, yeah, I was joking with the cashier that I was buying a Beta [VCR]. She was like, "Well, it's not a huge investment." I've got a projector in my house and I wanted an upconverting player anyway.

Are you going to buy a Blu-ray player now?
No, I have an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii and I can't stand the controller on the PlayStation 3 [which has a Blu-ray drive], plus it's really expensive. If Blu-ray players come down to $100 or $150, then maybe.

Would you describe yourself as an early adopter — someone who buys gadgets early in their life cycle?
Yeah, I try not to be, but I am. I've spent so much money on video cards for my computer when I should have waited.

Do you feel burned at all?
If I had been on the Blu-ray side and spent $400, because that's like the minimum price I've seen, and that died, then yeah I'd be like, "Oh my god, I wasted $400." But what I have is an upconverting DVD player with seven free movies for $99, so it really doesn't matter. You can't go wrong for a $100.

Will your HD-DVD experience change your future buying decisions?
Yeah, because the only HD TV in my house is my projector. After watching a few movies in HD, it's really nice. Normal TVs kind of burn my eyes now. When I see a good deal, I'm going to jump in.

Mehar Gill, 17, student in Calgary

When did you buy your HD-DVD player, and what kind is it?
I bought my player in August of 2007: it was the Xbox 360 add-on. I was and still am pleased with the quality and low price point at that time. The fact that the drive could be connected to a PC and be supported by Windows Vista only made things better.

Did you know about the format war going in, and how did it weigh on your decision to buy?
I was aware of the format war and that is why I decided to get a HD-DVD player. At first it was something I brushed off, but then I saw one running and noticed the features HD-DVD had, and how unified it was. When I bought my player, Blu-ray players were all above $500. I also factored in the fact that none of those [early Blu-ray] players, excluding the PS3, will play future titles to the fullest extent, requiring me to buy a new player which would also cost above $500 to take advantage of these features. This is the problem many Blu-ray supporters are currently facing — they will probably have to go through it again when Blu-ray 2.0 is released. HD-DVD was different since it supported all these features from the start ….

Would you describe yourself as an early adopter — someone who buys gadgets early in their life cycle?
I wouldn't really call myself an early adopter, since HD-DVD is the first thing I bought when there were two competing formats on the market. Mainly the things I do get into or am planning to get into are competing for something that will never see a complete winner, such as the console wars or the portable audio market.

Do you feel burned at all?
I admit at first it was a shock hearing that Warner was going Blu-ray exclusive, especially considering how their HD-DVD releases were always superior to their Blu-ray releases. I was hoping for some good news from Microsoft or other backers of the format, but it came as a shock when Bill Gates used the moment to plug digital downloads. In the end, however, I really don't feel betrayed in any way. The fact is, it will still work in the future, your movies will still play, plus if you think you're going to go into Blu-ray or digital downloads, that would be one less to buy on the opposing formats.

Will your HD-DVD experience change your future buying decisions?
I really doubt this will change my experience in any way. The reason I chose HD DVD was because it was a finished format at a low price point that had so much potential, and it also had big names to back it up: Toshiba, Microsoft, the DVD Forum, etcetera. With these companies backing the format, it led me to believe that HD-DVD could have won the format war.

Rod Burley, 36, mall security manager in Toronto

When did you buy your HD-DVD player, what kind is it and what did you pay for it?
I purchased my HD-DVD player back in late 2006. It is an external hard drive for the Xbox 360 and only cost me at the time, $140, with a few trade-ins.

Did you know about the format war going in, and how did it weigh on your decision to buy?
I knew about the format issues … I was looking at the cheaper cost between the two formats, Blu-ray and HD-DVD. At the time, it was the affordable way to go and there was a fair market out there. At one point, the movies were outselling Blu-ray.

Would you describe yourself as an early adopter — someone who buys gadgets early in their life cycle?
Not normally … But I had an HD TV and wanted to take full advantage of it. I had read about the two formats and thought that Blu-ray had some of the advantages, in terms of studio support. In some ways, I have always supported the underdog. Since HD-DVD was first into the market, I thought that at least their gloves were up and they wanted to make the leap into the format wars.

Do you feel burned at all?
Not at all … It was a chance I had to take and I didn't think Blu-ray prices were fair to a standard consumer.

Will your HD-DVD experience change your future buying decisions?
Not at all … It is part of a risk and I still have a good library of movies to enjoy in HD. Once Blu-ray players drop to a reasonable level, then I will eventually purchase one.

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