CNET flip-flop: HD DVD now good, mmkay

[Wesociety]

"Why I was wrong about HD DVD"
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-675 ... =cnetfd.mt

As it stands, this is a race to the bottom, and the more I look at it, the more I realize that I was wrong to think that a format war was bad. We need these guys to beat each other up. We need Toshiba and Microsoft to push Sony and its allies to make better and cheaper Blu-ray players. We need Universal to stay red. We need this war, folks. Give it a chance.

[Ian]

It's good to see that HD DVD's marketing propaganda is working on some people.

[dolphinius_rex]

What we need is one format, so that the competition within the format pushes manufacturing costs down, AS WELL as selling prices.

[Ian]

What we need is one format, so that the competition within the format pushes manufacturing costs down, AS WELL as selling prices.

I totally agree. The analysts don't though.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6461382.html

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc will have a place in home entertainment’s future and a big one at that, according to research presented at Wednesday panel “The Future of Retail and Home Entertainment” at the Home Media Expo here.

By 2012, high-definition DVD will reach $10 billion in annual sales, surpassing DVD sales, which are expected at $8 billion, according to Adams Media Research projections. Adams believes that high-def sales will be split equally between HD DVD and Blu-ray.

[dolphinius_rex]

Well HD DVD needs to hold on to their marketshare if they want to survive to 2012... and at the moment, they aren't doing that. Regardless of the Toshiba propaganda, we're seeing more and more independant reports of Blu-Ray outselling HD DVD in larger and larger numbers. On top of that, more and more smaller movie distrubutors are switching to being neutral (instead of HD DVD exclusive) like Bandai, and some are just starting out with Blu-Ray exclusivity, like Starz, and Funimation, and others.

[vinnie97]

Meanwhile, the primary device that is driving Blu-Ray sales is the PS3, and for the first time since its inception, it started selling more than the antiquated Gameboy Advance in May (but lost to it again in Canada in June). I went out to Fry's, Best Buy and Microcenter earlier today. The Best Buy stock was again piled high (I actually think I saw one poor soul leaving with a PS3, however). The demo station featuring Motorstorm was totally ignored while I was there (a good 30 minutes). At Microcenter I didn't check for stock but the sole demo for the PS3 was again being utterly ignored (some sports game being featured). Finally, at Fry's (didn't check the stock), the demo unit playing Motorstorm was simply locked up and unresponsive (I hope everyone who passed by trying to play took note and that Fry's left it that way intentionally ). At all 3 of the above stores, the 360 demos had people engaged (Transformers, some basketball game and what I believe was Forza 2). If this is all that can be garnered from the schizophrenic flagship/most affordable Blu-Ray player on the market, Blu-Ray has a long uphill climb. I for one am glad Blu-Ray's not the only HD movie format in town even though that's not a popular view here.