Toshiba made official today what essentially has been reality since Warner Bros. announced just before CES that it was opting for Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Blu-Ray over the HD-DVD format. NYT: Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters at a news conference at Toshiba’s headquarters in Tokyo: “The sudden change by Warner Brothers was like a bolt from the blue. We had no more prospect of winning this competition.” Then came Wal-Mart’s (NYSE: WMT) decision last week.

SEE ALSO: It’s Official: Toshiba Gives Up On HD DVD; To Be Out By End Of March

Toshiba will halt all production by the end of March, but will offer customer support for several years. The company has no plans to produce Blu-Ray players.