Toshiba Comments on DVD Talks

By Ian Bell Updated May 12, 2005

“Toshiba believes a single format for next generation DVD is most beneficial for consumers, and we are actively participating in talks towards format unification. At this point, however, no decision has been made for unification on any basis. The indication that a unification agreement on the basis of a 0.1 mm disc system (proposed by the Blu-ray Disc format supporters such as Sony) is imminent is unfounded and erroneous. Given this, Toshiba does not intend to make any proposal on unification to the members of the HD DVD Promotion Group.”

So no agreement has been made unfortunately. Toshiba is still empahsizing that “the key factors for a unified format are large capacity, reasonable cost, and backward compatibility with DVD”. The problem there may be the backwards compatibility with DVD’s on a Blu-Ray machine.

Source: Masayuki Arai, Nikkei Electronics

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Audio / Video

20 of the best Dolby Atmos movies to watch in your home theater

Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Fergusson in one of the scenes from Dune

Dolby Atmos is one of the absolute best ways to experience surround sound, both at home and in movie theaters. And when it comes to the former, the immersive sound codec isn't in limited supply. There are hundreds of excellent movies that are encoded with Atmos' immersive sound. The only thing you'll need to get the party started is the right Atmos compatible A/V gear (TV, speakers, Blu-ray player, A/V receiver), and the right movies to knock your socks off.

Nowadays, you can find Dolby Atmos in a wider range of places than ever, including with select movies and shows across a number of streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Disney+. And, of course, one of the best ways to experience Dolby Atmos is through the thousands of Blu-ray DVDs available.

Audio / Video

Sonos Voice Control hands-off review: Now we’re talking

Sonos One review front top

Sonos has launched its own voice assistant, known as Sonos Voice Control, and you can enable it on any voice-capable Sonos product in your home. It's not the first time Sonos users have been able to issue voice commands to their speakers -- Alexa has been available since 2017 when Sonos launched its first true smart speaker, the Sonos One.

But Sonos Voice Control is a different beast than Alexa and Google Assistant. Is it better, worse, or simply an alternative to Amazon and Google's AIs? Here's what it's like to use it.
Adding Sonos Voice Control

Audio / Video

Sonos announces $279 Ray Soundbar and its own voice control

The Sonos Roam in multiple colors.

The leaks, hints, and other implications were all true. Sonos today unleashed a new soundbar, its own voice control service, and new colors for an existing speaker.

Sonos Ray is the new entry in the product line and the new least-expensive option in the company's home theater lineup. Sonos Voice Control — that's the official name — perhaps is the most intriguing of the three releases, if for no other reason than it's using a serious actor's intonations. (Or an actor's serious intonations. More on that in a minute.) And the portable Sonos Roam has some new colors on the way.