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Sunday, February 26, 2006

The NY Times on changing winds in the Blu-ray/HD-DVD rivalry

Ken Belson of the NY Times writes today about changing winds in land of high-def DVDs. The piece is headlined, `In Sony's Stumble, the Ghost of Betamax'. As evidence that HD-DVD is gaining momentum, Belson writes:

    Hewlett-Packard withdrew its exclusive support of Blu-ray. This month, another member of the Blu-ray camp, LG Electronics, hedged its bets, too, signing a deal to license Toshiba's [HD-DVD] technology.


    And earlier this month, one of the main reasons underpinning Microsoft's move to shuck its neutrality [and join the HD-DVD camp] — the complexity of producing Blu-ray technology — led to Sony's acknowledgment that it might delay this spring's scheduled release of its PlayStation 3 game console partly because the needed technology was still being worked out.


    The possible delay and the Blu-ray group's loss of its once-commanding lead are not encouraging developments for Sony in its attempt to revive its electronics group after a series of bungles. PlayStation 3 is crucial to Sony's future, and not only because the latest version of its gaming consoles could generate billions in revenue; the new machines will include disc drives that will turn them into Blu-ray DVD players as well.


Belson notes that HD-DVD players will hit the market first, with the cheapest selling for $499. Blu-ray players will follow, selling for about twice as much. Sounds like a real recipe for success...


Later, Belson quotes a retailer saying the format battle will undoubtedly hurt consumers:


    "Both sides are digging in their heels and stupidity has prevailed," said Joe McGuire, the chief executive of Tweeter, a high-end electronics chain. Mr. McGuire called the failure of the two camps to agree on a single format "criminal" and said he would have a hard time advising consumers. "The answer to which is better is: 'We don't know,' " he said. "I'm tempted not to sell anyone these machines."

1 Comments:

  • Not to mention that whichever format wins, the players will require that you have an hdmi connection. HDTV owners who bought their sets just a little too early will be out of luck. The players will downconvert the signal to SD when using the (otherwise HD capable, but not DRM'ed) component inputs.

    By Blogger Wiley, at 7:44 PM  

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