Toshiba to join Blu-ray club

Toshiba said Monday it is planning a lineup of products that support the Blu-ray storage format. Toshiba was one of the leading companies behind HD DVD, a standard that lost to Blu-ray.

In a statement, Toshiba said that it will provide "a wide range of advanced digital products" including DVD players, HDTVs and laptops that support multiple storage devices. "In light of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers alike, Toshiba has decided to join the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association).

The company said it will roll out Blu-ray products "in the course of this year."

Sony was one of the founders of Blu-ray and supported the technology via its high-definition video products and PlayStation 3. Toshiba ceded the format war to Blu-ray in February 2008. In July, Toshiba said it would roll out Blu-ray products.