Toshiba, one of the low cost leaders in the HD DVD market, has announced it will drop its sales forecast for the US HD market from 1.8 million to 1 million. No estimate of global sales has been forthcoming but Toshiba admitted it would be lower as well.
These cuts are at odds with claims from the HD DVD Promotion Group (PG) that the company's "latest promotional efforts are clearly resonating with consumers and showing that price is king when it comes to hardware"
This does not bode well for the HD market especially considering recent Toshiba price cuts and the plans to include HD drives in a larger share of their laptops. Those who follow this market are well aware of the lack of enthusiasm in the US market and problems interesting the consumer who is already in the midst of figuring out the transition to HD TV in the next 18 months. With progressive scan players already selling well below $100, HD has a long way to go before it is the first choice. As with any new hardware, the software drives the purchase, and in this case, there are just not enough HD discs to drive the purchase.
Submitted by: GristyMcFisty
