[Ayreonaut]

Here's a look at how Blu-ray bested HD DVD.

• Oct. 5, 2000 -- Sony and Pioneer unveil DVR Blue at Japan's Ceatec show. The format would go on to form the basis for Blu-ray Disc BD-RE.
• Aug. 29, 2002 -- Toshiba and NEC propose to the DVD Forum the next-generation optical disc format that will become HD DVD.
• April 10, 2003 -- Sony puts on sale in Japan the world's first Blu-ray Disc recorder, the BDZ-S77. It costs ¥450,000 (US$3,815 at the time).
• Jan. 7, 2004 -- Toshiba unveils its first prototype HD DVD player at CES. The player includes backwards compatibility with DVD.
• Sept. 21, 2004 -- Sony announces the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray Disc.
• April 21, 2005 -- Sony and Toshiba begin discussions on the possibility of a single format. The talks ultimately go nowhere.
• March 31, 2006 -- Toshiba launches the world's first HD DVD player, the HD-XA1. It cost ¥110,000 (US$936 at the time) in Japan.
• Dec. 29, 2006 -- Hackers report success in breaking through part of the AACS copy protection that's on both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
• Jan. 7, 2007 -- LG Electronics unveils a dual-format player, while Warner Bros. shows a prototype disc that holds both an HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc layer.
• Feb. 16, 2008 -- Ayreonaut buys a PS3 Blu-ray player.
• Feb. 19, 2008 -- Toshiba announces it will phase out the production of HD DVD players and recorders by the end of March. The format war is over.

Adapted from PCWorld.