Toshiba is to start making products that can play Blu-ray discs.

东芝开始制作可以播放蓝光光碟的设备。

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The format war over high-def discs effectively ended in early 2008

The decision marks a big change for the electronics firm which was the prime mover（原动力，发动者） of the rival HD-DVD format.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD went head-to-head to see who could dominate the burgeoning²（生机勃勃的） market for movies produced in the high definition（高清晰度） format.

The format war was effectively won in early 2008 when the Blu-ray camp won the backing of all four of the biggest movie studios.

Blu-ray was largely developed by Sony. Its efforts to dominate the HD market were also helped by sales of the PlayStation 3 which has a Blu-ray player built-in.

Toshiba said it would begin production of stand alone Blu-ray players as well as drives for PCs and laptops. Its first products are likely to be ready for the end of 2009.

The Japanese firm also said it would join the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) - the industry body which oversees³ development of the high-definition format.

"In light of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers⁴ alike, Toshiba has decided⁵ to join the BDA," the Japanese firm said in a statement.