"Getting its kit out before Christmas was more of a publicity stunt than anything else, but now HD DVD mastermind Toshiba has confirmed it will be delayed until the new year.

Rival format Blu-ray, lead by Sony, had made no bones about its decision not to come to market until 2006 and – since many are backing it to win the impending format war – it seems entirely comfortable with this decision.

By contrast, Toshiba had hoped a head start in the marketplace would boost public brand awareness, though recent years has shown that people are reluctant to jump on new formats the moment they become available. Just think about how long CDs were around before they eventually took over from cassettes? First generation equipment always tends to be incredibly expensive anyhow, and less reliable.

Still, we can’t help but believe Sony is cracking a gentle smile at this news, though overconfidence is its enemy bearing in mind that it lost the last format war when RCA’s VHS won out against its (technically superior) Betamax. Personally speaking, however, I can’t see the same thing happening again…"