Toshiba denies HD DVD cancellation for now

Toshiba, the driving force behind one side of the next generation DVD battle, has responded to press speculation over the weekend, and denied that any decision has been made on the future of HD DVD.

Reports had suggested that the company was set to scrap production of the format, proclaiming Sony and its Blu-ray platform as winners, but a brief statement released this morning has attempted to quash further speculation - for now.

"The media reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD DVD business. Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this. Although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment," read the statement in full.

Other sources now suggest that such a decision could be made as soon as tomorrow, if a planned board meeting is held.

Even if such speculation proves false at this time, the impetus is now firmly behind Blu-ray as the format of choice, following the decision taken by Warner Bros and others to support it and not HD DVD.

Microsoft, which up until now has only supported HD DVD with a peripheral for the Xbox 360, recently unveiled the European version of its Video Marketplace, which enables the download of HD content without the need for a player at all.