December 6, 2007

HD DVD/Blu-ray Format War To Remain Deadlocked For Another 5 Years?

When will the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war end? No time in the foreseeable future, according to Helen Davis Jayalath, senior analyst at Screen Digest. She estimates that by 2012, American high-def software sales will still be more or less evenly split among the two formats with Blu-ray making up 55% and HD DVD making up 45% of sales respectively. Globally the split will sit at 60%/40%, with the advantage once again going to the Blu-ray format.

This so-called stalemate is the result of a few different factors. One is the continuing dominance of the standard definition DVD and the availability of low cost upscaling DVD players that improve the playback of standard-def DVD's to high-def quality. Similar quality at a lower cost is obviously going to be the consumer's pick. Another reason is the format war itself. Without either format proclaiming dominance or victory, potential buyers will sit back and wait for a dominant format to emerge before making any high-def purchasing decisions. Finally, studios' continuing obsession with copyright theft makes spreading high-def content to platforms most convenient to the consumer, such as portable media devices, difficult thereby delaying adoption.

I've quite enjoyed keeping you updated on the neverending drama of this format war, but will it remain interesting for another 5 years?

Video Business Via EngadgetHD