Toshiba Delays HD-DVD Launch

The Toshiba Corp. has postponed the U.S. release of high-definition DVD players roughly one month, with the rescheduled launch now due to happen in April, in order to ensure that the devices launch with sufficient support from movie studios. No specific date was given, but Time Warner Home Video, among other studios, has said that it will have HD-DVD movies ready on April 18th. Despite the delay, the launch will still allow the HD-DVD format to be first to market ahead of Sony's competing Blu-ray format. Both types of media aim to replace the current DVD format as standards in media, and both offer substantially larger storage capacity in the same space. The first Blu-ray players will be available by summer, and the format will also be the basis for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 console. The HD-DVD format is backed by several Hollywood studios, including Warner and Universal, as well as tech giant Microsoft, which plans to introduce a peripheral for its Xbox 360 that will allow HD-DVD movie playback.