The Blu-ray disc format: does it matter?
UPDATE: Toshiba is set to pull the plug on its HD DVD business early this week, five years after it began a format battle with rival Sony.
According to the Wall St. Journal (subs. required), Toshiba is going to announce its exit from the HD DVD business after a 5-year battle with Sony and its Blu-ray technology.
The only surprise about the anticipated exit is the speed with which Toshiba is pulling out of the high-definition video format market. Toshiba spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince consumers its HD DVD format is superior to Sony’s Blu-ray technology. But Sony’s PS3 video game console, which has a Blu-ray disc player in it, superior technology, and likely some clever lobbying with the studios helped the company make its format the winner.
Knowing Sony, it’ll overprice its discs and readers much to the frustration of consumers.
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The answer to the question in the headline is of course yes.
The Sony-backed high def disc format is set to become the technology upon which all home movies are recorded on; the players too will have to read the discs.
But just because the standoff between Blu-ray and HD DVD is all but over, doesn’t mean consumers will soon snap up Blu-ray discs and players for next-generation TVs en masse.
Not even close.
Blu-ray players and discs are still expensive, ranging from $400 to $1000 at Canadian retailers such as Future Shop and Best Buy. A DVD player that reads standard discs costs as little as $25 now - they are now disposable items.
The final nail in the HD DVD coffin was nailed last week when Wal-Mart said it will sell Blu-ray discs exclusively. Roughly 20% of the DVDs sold in the U.S. (and probably Canada too) are bought at Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart had been a backer of the HD DVD format.
The end of the battle, such as it was, signals the beginning of the early adopter phase for next-generation disc player and movie sales. People had held off on purchases for fear their players and discs would soon be rendered useless.
While consumer tech enthusiasts are far more likely to hit the stores, most TV owners still don’t even know their new TV has high-def capabilities.
It’ll be another 12 to 18 months before HD players and movies hit the mainstream. Sony’s victory simply paves the way for high-def disc and player adoption to begin.
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