n 31 March 2006 Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Toshiba Corporation shipped the world’s first highdefinition disc player to retailers. Backed by NEC Corporation and operating under the jurisdiction and support of the cross-industrial body governing DVD technology, the DVD Forum, Toshiba hoped to establish dominance in next-generation optical disc technology devices by being first to the market. With content support from Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and computer software and hardware giants Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, hopes were high that HD DVD would quickly secure a victory over its chief competitor, Sony’s Blu-ray. Some three short months later, after several delays from developers Sony and Panasonic, Samsung shipped the world’s first Blu-ray player to retailers. With nine consumer electronics manufacturers supporting the technology, Blu-ray offered consumers a choice in their conversion to high-definition disc player. In the process Sony initiated the first home entertainment format war since Betamax versus VHS. Flash-forward to 19 February 2008, as the Toshiba Corporation announced that it would no longer pursue manufacturing, development, and marketing efforts related to HD DVD. Citing “recent major changes in the market,” President and CEO Atsutoshi Nishida ceded the format battle victory for next-generation DVD to Sony’s Blu-ray technology (“Toshiba Announces”). The two-year period between HD DVD’s launch and its defeat by Sony’s Blu-ray was a period of sustained growth in global markets marked by increasing convergence in the filmed entertainment, consumer electronics, gaming, and IT industries. Franchise films returned record revenues at the box office as well as in ancillary markets. In the consumer electronics market high-definition televisions, new video game consoles and software, and laptop computers returned healthy profits for their makers. The format battle Convergent Consortia: Format Battles in High Definition bryan sebok