HD DVD was a high-definition optical disc format developed by Toshiba and introduced in 2006. It was designed to store high-definition video and audio, offering better quality than standard DVDs. HD DVD discs could hold up to 30 GB of data on a dual-layer disc, making them suitable for movies and other media. Despite its advantages, HD DVD faced competition from the Blu-ray format, which was backed by major companies like Sony. The format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray ended in 2008 when Blu-ray became the dominant standard for high-definition video, leading to the discontinuation of HD DVD production.