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Is Blu-Ray the overall winner?
January 9th, 2008

I've been a supporter of Blu-Ray for the last year since I purchased my PS3. It was a convenience advantage really because the Blu-Ray player was attached to a game console and it's one of the few "real" HD options available today.

But here's the interesting thing. While HD-DVD is possibly the "better format" for a variety of reasons (Ethernet connectivity, all players follow the same spec, easier to develop for, etc) it's certainly not looking like it's going to win. In fact, with the recent blow from Waner Brothers it looks like the HD-DVD days are numbered.

Much of it is due to the fact that traditional DVD sales slipped about -5% in 2007. The movie studios need to sell their product and DVD's are no longer money makers. They need the consumer to jump onto something new and Warner Brothers stepped up and said "Blu-Ray is the way to go, let's make some money."

I think that Sony(Blu-Ray) is a wee bit cautios though because there is an invisible contender.

A few years from now the clear winner will be the downloadable format still to come. No more format wars. Picture going to your magical "HD Movie Player" that's connected to your TV and the Internet. You browse thousands of available titles and download one for $5. No more DVD pressing lines, scratched discs, needless waste and transportation costs... It all just magically works over the Internet.

Come to think of it, In my PS3 there is a built in "Store" that lets you already download HD movie trailers... It takes about 3-4 minutes for a 30 second clip.

Perhaps the PS3 will be that magical downloadable "HD-Movie Player"? that already has the support of most of the major movie studios?

 

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