(7 January 2008 9:25 pm)

MUMBAI: Toshiba Corporation said its HD DVD format “is not dead” in spite of Hollywood major Warner Brothers’ recent decision to release its HD DVDs only in the Sony Corporation’s rival Blu-ray disc format.

Toshiba America Consumer Products president Akiyo Ozaka, speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, said that HD DVD “has not lost”. Ozaka, however, declined to comment on Toshiba’s next moves.

Ozaka’s remarks were the latest salvo in a long-running battle over which format will dominate the next generation of technology for delivering HD movies to consumers.

Earlier, calling its decision a response to consumer demand, Warner Bros chairman and CEO Barry Meyer had said, “Warner Bros’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want.”

As the main backer of the HD DVD format, Toshiba defended the technology after the HD DVD consortium – a group of companies of which it is a part – cancelled plans to hold its own press conference at the CES, the industry’s largest US gathering.

“We were very disappointed with Warner Brothers’ announcement,” Ozaka said. “Sales of HD DVD were very good last year, especially in October to December.”

Toshiba VP marketing Jodi Sally claimed that HD DVD remained the best technology, but reiterated that the Warner Bros announcement on Friday took her by surprise.

Warner Bros, which accounts for 20 per cent of all DVD sales in the United States, will join the league of Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Disney who also release their DVDs in the Blu-ray format only. However, the HD DVD format is currently backed exclusively by Paramount, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks.