TOKYO — Toshiba Corp., here, said this week it would cease shipping HD DVD players by the end of March. This follows announcements by major studios and retailers that they would only support Sony’s Blu-ray Disc format. While supermarkets will not be immediately impacted by the demise of the HD DVD format, retailers and suppliers agree that the end of the long-running battle to become the standard for packaged high-definition video can only be good for business. “This announcement marks a tremendous step forward for both the industry and Giant Eagle,” said Chuck Porter, director, video and entertainment, of the Pittsburgh-based retailer. “The industry can now concentrate on the benefits of high-definition using one clear voice.” Giant Eagle had been stocking Blu-ray and HD DVD, but recently began cutting back on HD DVD. “As the adoption of Blu-ray increases, we will increase both the variety and number of copies that we bring to customers,” he said. Supermarkets with rental programs are likely to bring in more Blu-ray copies now, but suppliers expect chains to evaluate
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