| A Battle Won, War In Question...Blu-ray vs. HD DVD | ||
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By Dale Cripps Founder & Co-Publisher Posted on July 2, 2007 Category: HD DVD & Blu-ray |
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The following is drawn wholly from a HD-HDTV public relations spin article about the raging high definition pre-recorded format war. The HD DVD camp was recently stung by a PR coup when Blockbuster popped up with a boldly worded press release saying that they will be carrying the Blu-ray format exclusively in a significant number (1450) of their better located stores. HD DVD advocates say that there is far more to the story than first meets the eye. The war between the two HDTV DVD formats, they claim, is far from won (as the Blu-ray advocates claimed immediately following the Blockbuster announcement). You, as always, are the final judge of which direction the disks are truly spinning.
Blockbuster Choice of Blu-ray has Little Impact on Blue Format War
Austin, TX (July 2, 2007) - Blockbuster's recent announcement that 1450 of its stores would exclusively carry Blu-ray Disc titles as their high-definition offering, has been noted by some as a potential turning point in the battle between the two formats. However, the development may be considerably less significant than it appears on its surface, in affecting a format war that is arguably still a year away from crowning a victor.
Paul Erickson, market analyst with IMS Research, feels the alignment between Blockbuster and the Blu-ray Disc format should not come as a surprise; "Sony is a supplier of video content to Blockbuster, has a major retail presence in video-related consumer electronics that can potentially be linked with Blockbuster on a promotional basis, and is a significant investor in the online movie download service Movielink, which Blockbuster has actively been trying to acquire. It makes much more strategic sense in general for Blockbuster to ally itself with Sony's Blu-ray Disc format versus Toshiba's HD DVD."
Based on his work in the report, "The Future of High-Definition TV - 2007 Edition," Erickson states that the announcement will ultimately have limited impact: "The retail video rental business remains in a steady decline. Though this announcement appears to be a PR coup for Blu-ray Disc, it is doubtful that it will actually drive increased hardware penetration. Actual sales indicate that mainstream consumers are generally happy with DVD, and still find both blue formats' standalone players too expensive for mass adoption, regardless of content availability. Also of note, only a portion of Blockbuster's approximately 4500 retail outlets in the US are affected. The company has hedged its position by stating that consumer demand would govern its choices and by allowing its existing 250 stores that offer both blue formats, as well as its online rental service, to continue renting HD DVD titles."
The expectation is for HD DVD players to reach the coveted $200 price point by holiday 2007 or early 2008 while maintaining a 40-50% price advantage over the cheapest Blu-ray players. Combined with slow Sony Playstation 3 sales in the US, Erickson believes these factors point to a format war that is still quite in contention: "The format that can achieve the greatest mass-market hardware penetration of its standalone players will ultimately win. With the price drops for both formats' players expected for the end of this year, 2008 will be the true test of whether HD DVD's low entry price or Blu-ray's greater studio support will prove the stronger factor in driving the mainstream sales numbers needed for victory."
Posted by Dale Cripps, July 2, 2007 12:11 PM
Reader Commentary Jul 2, 2:04pm I agree that the war is far from "over", but I still predict that Blu-ray will win, or there will be no "winner"... AaronS Jul 2, 2:31pm I think Blu-Ray continues to have an advantage because it is the choice of Disney. As betamax taught us, just having the best specs is not enough to win a format war. Since there are players that can use both formats, in the end, these factors will have a Jul 3, 3:32am Interesting observations. But I've always maintained that there will be no "winner". Each "camp" is so far invested in their respective format that there is no turning back. They each have enough players and titles out on the market to support thems Jul 3, 6:15am Shane, I disagree with you on the tech part. Blu-Ray is only advantageous technology wise on the computer because it holds up to 50GB (dual-layer) rather than 30GB (DL HD DVD). I'm format neutral. However, I'm annoyed that the set-top Blu-Ray play Jul 3, 7:14am Capacity is not just an advantage on the PC side. It also allows for more content on the disc, more bonus features (yes, those sell discs), better audio, etc. Blu-ray has better throughput (Mbps) as well, allowing for higher bitrates. Blu-ray has ad Jul 3, 9:38am :roll: I own both players and have a substantial investment in the discs. HD discs can be imported from Europe and play in US players. For example, "The Graduate" is available in the UK and Germany. I don't think classic films are a priority with eith Jul 3, 10:19am I don't get where you believe that the BR disc is less apt to be damaged than the HD-DVD. The info on the BR is much closer to the surface and has a thin blue coating that I think will not be as the thick coating on the HD DVD. I presonally hope that Sony Jul 3, 10:47am I didn't say less resistant to damage (i.e. data layer), I said less resistant to scratching. The coating on a Blu-ray disc is much more durable than that of HD DVD. It had to be for the very reasons you describe. - S Jul 3, 10:51am Hopefully, the various high definition DVD manufacturers read your blog, because to this "average consumer" who has been waiting since October, 2006 to buy one or the other formats...I WON"T buy either until something definitive is decided. Count me as o Jul 3, 11:08am You'll continue waiting for at least a year. Shane, you mentioned bit rates. However, the software publishers aren't taking advantage of Blu-Ray's bit rates. They're putting in lower sound samplings on the Blu-Ray discs than the HD discs. This is More on HD DVD & Blu-ray
About Dale CrippsDale Cripps is a professional journalist who has focused two thirds of his career on the subject of high-definition television. Upon completing his education in business and service in the military he formed Cripps and Associates, South Pasadena, California, in 1964, which operated as a market-development company for aerospace services. In 1983 he turned to television and began what has become a 20 year campaign to pioneer HDTV. For fifteen of those years he published the well-regarded HDTV Newsletter (an international monthly written for television professionals). During much of this same time he also served as the HDTV-Technical Editor for "Widescreen Review Magazine." On November 16, 1998 he launched the Internet distributed HDTV Magazine, which remains the only consumer publication devoted exclusively to high-definition television. In April of 2002 he co-founded with Tedson Meyers of Coudert Bros, the High-definition Television Association of America, which is presently based in Washington DC. Cripps is the president of this organization. Mr. Cripps is a charter member of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers and honored by that organization with the DTV Press Leadership Award of 2002. He makes his home in Oregon. |
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