"Toshiba picked March 2006 for the consumer debut of their next-generation DVD format players; it's only an astonishing coincidence that the Sony PlayStation 3 with Blu-ray disc support launches in the spring of 2006.
After a quiet winter where the DVD wars took a break, Toshiba fired up the PR machinery and began talking about its HD DVD format. Toshiba slated March 2006 as the arrival date for its next-gen players, IDG reported from CES 2006.
Two models priced at $500 and $800 hit the retail shelves in the same timeframe industry observers expect Sony to release the PlayStation 3. Though Sony designed the PS3 with a Blu-ray drive on board, separate Blu-ray players have not been announced with a more fixed launch date than "early summer."" [more]