IDC has released a new study, analyizing the optical
storage market for 2004-2006 and providing a forcast for 2007-2011. According to their findings, HD DVD and Blu-ray will gain significant
momentum. However, DVD burners will continue to dominate the market.
While DVD burners will continue to be the dominant
volume product of the optical/removable storage market until 2011, due to commodity prices and almost universal compatibility,
next-generation drives are ramping up, according to IDC. Significant momentum is building behind the blue laser formats: HD DVD and
Blu-ray Disc (BD). Marketing activities of both camps are accelerating, and more and more companies are joining one of the two or both
format groups.
"Similar to DVD and DVD burners, blue laser DVD will need a three- to five-year ramp to reach mass-market
volumes," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for Removable Storage at IDC. "HD DVD needs to aggressively push volumes to
neutralize BD's advantage in support from consumer electronics (CE) and content companies."
While Hollywood would like us
all to run out and buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, the standard DVD isn't going away anytime soon. More information on IDC's new study
can be found here.
