Rumours of an imminent end to the format war over high-definition discs boosted shares in both Sony and Toshiba today (Monday 18th Feb), amid speculation that consumers will welcome an end to confusion over which discs will carry high-definition movies.
Despite reports that it is planning to drop its HD DVD format, shares in Toshiba rose by nearly 6 percent, while shares in Sony, which has championed the Blu-ray format, rose 1 percent.
If Toshiba does take the decision to drop HD DVD, analysts predict sales of next-generation DVD could rise, as consumers who have been reluctant to gamble on one of the formats would be able to buy Blu Ray products with confidence.
A number of Hollywood studios have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray and last week US retail giant Wal-Mart announced that it is to stop selling HD DVDs.
SAW II
Despite reports that it is planning to drop its HD DVD format, shares in Toshiba rose by nearly 6 percent, while shares in Sony, which has championed the Blu-ray format, rose 1 percent.
If Toshiba does take the decision to drop HD DVD, analysts predict sales of next-generation DVD could rise, as consumers who have been reluctant to gamble on one of the formats would be able to buy Blu Ray products with confidence.
A number of Hollywood studios have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray and last week US retail giant Wal-Mart announced that it is to stop selling HD DVDs.
SAW II