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HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray Format War Gets Violent

by Tim Stevens on November 9, 2007 at 12:44 PM

HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray Format War Gets ViolentThe Beta vs. VHS battle was long enough ago that many purchasers of a high-definition video player don't remember the trials and tribulations of early adopters back in the 80's. Neither, apparently, do executives from Sony and Toshiba, who, despite numerous meetings, failed to come up with a shared format they could all agree upon.

Now the formats from the two companies are locked in a life and death struggle, it seems proponents of the two are getting in on the action. Just this week, angry format opponents got so out of hand that they shut down a popular message board thanks to a series of threats of death and physical violence.

AVS Forum is widely regarded as the go-to place for anything relating to home entertainment on the Internet, and is the home of many of the most dedicated and knowledgeable proponents for the two competing formats. But, really, death threats? C'mon guys. Apparently a series of "physical threats that have involved police and possible legal action" forced the forum moderators to temporarily disable the forums.

Things have settled down over there at the moment, but as the crucial holiday season approaches, and with Toshiba making huge cuts to push HD-DVD into homes, it looks like it could be a rough couple of months. Better wear a helmet on Black Friday, yeah?

From Gearlog

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Tags: Blu-ray, HD-DVD

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