Blockbuster votes Blu-Ray; high-def battle is futile
By Triston McIntyre
What once was in the limelight has subtly faded to the backdrop; whatever happened to the raging battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats? A year ago, forecasters predicted the impending doom of one or the other formats, dependent upon who chose what format…now it seems that not only have investors lost interest, so also have customers. However, Blockbuster has definitively set its fortunes with those of Blu-ray, forever shunning the HD-DVD format; could this be the end of HD-DVD?
In short, your answer is no. In more detail, there are a few reasons why Blockbuster’s choice of Blu-ray holds no significance on the modern day power struggle between high-definition formats:
1. Blockbuster has lost its hold on the video rental industry…with competitors such as Netflix, Hollywood Video, and more all jockeying for position in the rental industry, Blockbuster no longer controls the image of video rental. In fact, many who are “on the go” types prefer the convenience and ease (as well as price) of a Netflix subscription. No one particularly cares about Blockbuster (as movies can be unavailable, customer service representatives can be ignorant and rude, and prices can be high).
2. True adopters of HD formats are not enamored with the appeal of rental videos; if users are willing to spend the money on HD technology, many can be identified with the notion of buying a video whether it is good or not, simply becuase it is HD…let’s be realistic here…Underworld? Honestly?
3. Consumers have lost interest in competing formats. Though the battle rages on, it is mostly lost between the companies and their supporters…excluding ps3 and xbox 360 junkies, there is zero interested vested in either formats. After all, what is the point in spending countless bucks on a format that will (or could) fail?
In the end, the notion that one format will win because Blockbuster votes one way or the other is ignorant. With the fast progression technology is making, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD could just be a blemish on technological progression (can anyone say Windows ME?). If you have a Blu-ray play, you know where to look now, though…
Related:
Entry was posted
on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
under
Read more entries by Triston McIntyre.
Stumble It!
