Toshiba Delays Japanese HD DVD Launch While Copy-Protection Finalized

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 13, 2005 - 2:52am.

Tokyo - Japanese electronics firm Toshiba announced on Tuesday that it will delay the launch of its next-generation HD DVD players in Japan, scheduled before year's end, as it finalizes the copy-protection technology on the devices. The company still expects to launch the devices in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2006. Toshiba is waiting on the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copy-protection technology to launch its HD DVD players and notebook PCs with HD DVD drives in Japan. "I cannot say when the AACS issues will be resolved," a Toshiba spokeswoman told Reuters, adding, "but it's hard to think the launch in Japan will come after the U.S. launch." Sony plans to include its rival next-generation Blu-ray DVD technology inside the PlayStation 3, and is expected to launch the format some time in the spring of 2006.
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2005_12/pr1301.htm
http://tinyurl.com/8tpey (Reuters)