HD DVD Makes American Pitch to European Consumers

With claims that Toshiba's HD-E1 HD DVD player was the first on the market for the European consumer just last November (claims that a BetaNews reader tonight pointed out was wrong; see update below), and Sony's European edition of the PlayStation 3 with built-in Blu-ray player only emerging from its long launch delay a week from tomorrow, the Toshiba-backed format is already well ahead in the European market. Taiwanese industry analysts (on behalf of parts suppliers for high-def players) estimate HD DVD has already captured an 85% market share in Europe in just the first four months.