Microsoft said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony's Blu-ray.

Gigastorage, a second-tier Taiwan-based maker of blank optical discs, has been fully utilizing its production capacity for DVD+R/-R discs during the first quarter of 2008, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Optodisc Technology, another second-tier maker, on the other hand, is set for a corporate restructuring to deal with tough times.

Following the demise of the HD DVD format, DigiTimes reports that Acer will "push" Blu-ray notebooks this year.

Major Japanese electronics stores have stopped selling HD DVD machines after their maker Toshiba conceded defeat to Sony's Blu-ray in the battle to set the next-generation DVD standard.

Demand for flat panel televisions is expected to more than double to 180 million units by 2012, driven by strong sales in China and the United States, a Japanese industry group said.

Shops are starting to heavily discount HD-DVD recorders in an attempt to reduce their stock mountains.

Now that Blu-ray Disc (BD) has become the next-generation blue-laser optical disc standard following Toshiba's decision to discontinue its HD DVD business, BD devices will become popular earlier than originally expected, according to Lite-On IT, which is the largest Taiwan-based maker of half-height optical disc drives (ODDs).

Catering to users who want to watch High Definition TV without requiring the purchase expensive LCD TVs, Asus has today released the new Asus HDTV Suite-HDMI.

British viewers will be able to download a selection of BBC programs from Apple's digital store iTunes, under a deal announced by the public broadcaster's commercial arm.

iPod shuffle, the popular wearable music player, is now more affordably priced at $49, while a new 2GB model of the iPod shuffle is also introduced today for $69.

An American man’s life has been saved by a DVD after it stopped a bullet for him.

In a strange move, LG has said it will continue to back, develop and offer HD DVD players.

It seems American DVD kiosks are set to invade Canada this year. The New Release (TNR), a Houston-based company, plans to add 1,000 of their Moviecube DVD rental kiosks in North America by the end of 2008. Specifically the kiosks are going to Canada, where they'll be installed in Loblaws grocery stores.

Toshiba is set to announce that they are pulling out of the HD DVD business after Warner Bros and US retailers Wal-Mart, K Mart and Best Buy said that they are only going to support Blu-ray. Also contributing to the decision was a move by retailers globally to support Blu-ray over HD DVD.

Plextor, a well known supplier for high quality professional optical drives, has announced a new 4x Blu-ray ReWriter drive, model PX-B920SA. This drive is an Internal drive, featuring an SATA interface and a 4MB buffer. Like the PX-B300SA, this is a dual-format drive, capable of playing HD DVD & Blu-ray, along with the usual CD and DVD support.

Despite aggressive price promotions on HD DVD players from Toshiba, sales of Blu-ray Disc players continued to outsell HD DVD units by a wide margin through the week ending January 26, according to leaked NPD Group reports, but the gap has narrowed significantly from reports issued two weeks earlier.

Nearly six million Americans with digital receivers may still lose TV signals when digital-only broadcasts begin next February, a new study says.

First seen at CES in January, the Archos TV+ has been launched in the UK and is available in two variations: the 80GB and 250GB model, priced at £180 and £250, respectively.

Plextor announced today the new the PX-B920SA 4x Blu-ray DVD ReWriter drive as well as a combo DVD- Rewriter that also plays Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies - the Plextor PX-B300SA.

Microsoft’s recent admission that it would be willing to incorporate a standalone Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360 -- should HD-DVD not prove to the winning format in the high-definition war -- might be on the cusp of coming true.