TOSHIBA BUILDS ON HD DVD’s EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE WITH NEW PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY

January 21, 2008 | 09:31

Companies: #toshiba

TOSHIBA BUILDS ON HD DVD’s EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE WITH NEW PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY

Every consumer can gain the benefits of DVD up-scaling for their entire DVD library as well as enjoying HD DVD’s superior video, audio and interactive capabilities


WEYBRIDGE – January 18th, 2008– Toshiba Information Systems UK Ltd (“Toshiba”) today announced that it is extending its successful local marketing campaigns for HD DVD in response to strong dedicated player sales and the best and most consistent ‘tie rate’ for movies to players of any high definition format in the last 12 months. Key initiatives include joint promotional activity with studios, as well as a revision to Toshiba’s Recommended Retail Prices. These moves will enable more consumers to enjoy the superior benefits of HD DVD as well as gain the ability to up-scale their entire DVD movie collection via HDMItm output to near high def picture quality.

Since the introduction of the format, more than 200,000 dedicated HD DVD players have been sold in Europe. According to the latest available independent research, Toshiba’s accumulated share of the High Definition standalone player market was close to 60% at the end of 2007. In the fourth quarter alone, HD DVD doubled its European installed base of players. In addition, a ‘tie rate’ of HD DVD software was 3.5 movies per dedicated HD DVD player in 2007.

“While it’s still early days for HD on optical disc, these results confirm HD DVD performed strongly throughout 2007,” said Yoshio Abe, President of Consumer Products Europe, Toshiba Information Systems UK Ltd. “These new marketing investments coupled with our new recommended retail pricing, will ensure HD DVD remains at the forefront of the consumer's mind within Europe.”

The establishment of a strong installed base of dedicated HD DVD players in Europe is also helping to bridge the divide between the physical and digital content domains thanks to the connection to the network through Ethernet, which is a mandatory feature of every HD DVD player. This means that HD DVD player owners can not only enjoy the ultimate high definition experience through superior audio/video performance, they can experience cutting-edge content and advanced interactive features directly via the network.

“As the natural successor to DVD and a standard approved by the DVD Forum made up of over 200 leading consumer electronics companies, HD DVD offers a high level of DVD compatibility. With DVD up-scaling via HDMI, HD DVD players bring new life to your existing DVD library and make it look better than ever. Consumers can also enjoy more than 800 HD DVD titles currently available worldwide from leading Hollywood studios and a large number of European content partners,” said Masaaki Kimura, Vice President Digital A/V Group, Toshiba UK.

New marketing strategy to drive mass market adoption

Toshiba plans to extend promotional campaigns that will further enhance consumer awareness of the benefits of HD DVD and drive sales to retail among potential consumers.

In addition, taking into consideration consumers’ positive response to the promotional operations this last quarter, as well as independent consumers surveys pointing to price as the key driver for adoption of any high definition player, Toshiba’s new Recommended Retail Prices (RRP*) have been designed to meet the potential demand for HD DVD players in the European market.

Effective on 18th January, 2008, the RRP* of the entry model 1080p Toshiba HD-EP30 will be below £150 and the high-end HD-EP35 will be below £250.

“While price is just one of many purchasing considerations for the early adopter, it is a deal-breaker for the mainstream consumer,” said Kimura. “Sales this Christmas have demonstrated, once again, that consumer awareness of HD DVD has been elevated thanks to its close association with DVD and recent successful promotions. Pricing is – without doubt – the most critical determinant in a consumer’s decision to purchase next generation high definition DVD technology. The value HD DVD brings to the consumer simply cannot be ignored.”

HD DVD delivers on its promises

With advanced interactivity and Web-enabled network capabilities built into every HD DVD player through a dedicated Ethernet connection as mandated by the specifications approved by the DVD Forum, Toshiba continues to deliver on the promise of a consistent entertainment experience through firmware updates as studios launch new applications. HD DVD allows content makers to demonstrate their creative flair in ways that are technically impossible with DVD. The latest of these new experiences is online streaming. Now, when consumers connect their HD DVD player to the network through Ethernet, they can stream new content or trailers, as they become available, directly from a movie studio's server.

Universal Home Video, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG have reported that an average of 30 percent of HD DVD owners have accessed Web-enabled network features and continue to do so regularly.

About Toshiba HD DVD Players

With the HD DVD format, selected HD DVD players allow consumers to experience true high def 1080p for extraordinary resolution that matches the latest state of the art 1080p HDTVs. These same players display images at 24 frames per second, the same frame rate used by directors when using film to create motion pictures, for a smoother, more film-like, viewing experience.

Important Notes:

Toshiba’s Recommended Retail Price (or RRP) is not fixed or binding. Retailers are free to set their own prices and pricing policies. Actual retail prices may be above or below Toshiba’s RRP.

HD DVD with high-definition content required for HD viewing. Up-scaling of DVD content will result in near HD picture quality. Viewing high-definition content and up-scaling DVD content may require an HDCP capable DVI or HDMI input on your display device. 1080p capable display required for viewing content in 1080p. Firmware update may be required for some interactive features depending on content, which may also require an always-on broadband internet connection. Some features may require additional bandwidth. To take advantage of web-enabled network content, installing the latest firmware (ver.2.7 for HD-XE1, HD-E1, HD-EP10; and ver.1.3 for HD-EP35 and HD-EP30) is required. Web-enabled network features require an always on broadband connection along with specific movie titles that include this form of content. For 24p output, content that was created in 1080p/24 frames/sec is required. Viewing 24p output requires an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24Hz signal. Use of REGZA Link, which is a feature based on HDMI-CEC, requires an HDMI-CEC compatible display device. Depending on the specifications of your TV, some or all REGZA Link functions may not work even if your TV is HDMI-CEC compatible. Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® TrueHD and DTS® support for up to 5.1 channels (DTS HD® support for DTS® core only). MP3/WMA audio files not supported. HDMI audio output requires connection to a PCM capable device. Because HD DVD is a new format that makes use of new technologies, certain disc, digital connection and other compatibility and/or performance issues are possible. This may, in rare cases, include disc freezing while accessing certain disc features or functions, or certain parts of the disc not playing back or operating as fully intended. If you experience such issues, please refer to the FAQ sections of www.toshibahddvd.com or www.toshiba.co.uk for information on possible work-around solutions or the availability of firmware updates that may resolve your problem, or contact Toshiba Service Center. Some features subject to delayed availability. While every effort has been made at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifications, configurations, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice.

About Toshiba Information Systems (UK) Ltd

Toshiba Information Systems (UK) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba is a pioneer in HD DVD, DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba Information Systems UK Ltd. is headquartered in Weybridge, Surrey, UK. For additional information, please visit www.toshiba.co.uk.
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