Toshiba will soon put its second generation of HD DVD players on sale in the U.S. The Tokyo company kicked off the high-definition movie battle in the U.S. earlier this year when it put its first generation of HD DVD players on sale.
They were soon followed by a machine from Samsung Electronics for the rival Blu-ray Disc format. Both formats use optical discs the same size as a CD or DVD, but use blue lasers to cram much more data onto the discs. However, Blu-ray and HD DVD are incompatible, and the different companies behind each format are vying for the favor of consumers. To date many consumers seem cool in their reaction to the rival formats and are sitting on the sidelines until a winner is crowned.