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View Full Version : Dvorak: Consumers Lose in DVD Format War


Jeremy Charette
05-02-2006, 08:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193997,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193997,00.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"By the end of this year, we'll see exactly which next-generation optical media will be on our desktop computers. Or will we? The possibility lurks that the final resting place for next-generation media will not be determined for a couple of years. During that time, HD DVD and Blu-ray will fight it out in the consumer market, leaving computer users to languish...The most important event to watch may be the bundling of Blu-ray with the Sony PlayStation 3. But this device may have issues and may not become the fabulous success predicted...If you buy a new DVD from Warner Home Video, you may get a HD DVD on the other side of the disc. This is very doable with the HD DVD format...Not so with Blu-ray...you have to wonder if people will upgrade any of their current DVD collections. I seriously doubt it...Movies aren't like music, where you can listen to the same songs over and over. Most people are not rewatching "Groundhog Day" over and over...I'm afraid we're witnessing a train wreck. It looks as if we'll be sticking with our old DVD-writable drives for quite a while longer if something doesn't change fast."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/dvorak_small.jpg" /> <br /><br />Unfortunately, in the greedy fight for profits and mind share, it looks like the confusion caused by HD DVD and Blu-Ray will drive consumers away from the HD revolution. It's shaping up to be another repeat of DVD-Audio vs. SACD. :?

klinux
05-02-2006, 10:51 PM
Well, I have to slightly disagree with the SACD vs DVD-A analogy even if there are some similarities. The new formats failure is due to there are few demands for them. Most people are satisfied with CD quality sounds (or less than that if you count people who are fine compressed MP3/AAC/WMA etc).

There is, however, a demand for higher resolution video content.