- Photo: Samsung
Blu-ray technology, the high definition format of DVDs, has had a rocky path to adoption. Having had to fight a long, protracted and expensive battle with HD DVD to become the format of choice, it now faces an even greater threat in the form of digital content delivery services. It’s unlikely that it will ever be to this generation of televisions what DVD was to the last generation.
The Story Up Until Now
As content started shifting towards high definition, it was apparent to the entire film distribution industry that DVD did not have the capacity to handle this content. So two new media formats were developed: Blu-ray, whose primary backer was Sony (who built their Playstation 3 on this framework) and HD DVD, which was primarily backed by Toshiba and half-heartedly backed by Microsoft. There was a stand-off between the two for months and then Warner Bros and soon-to-follow Paramount decided to back Blu Ray exclusively. Universal remained the only HD DVD backer for a while, and then they too switched, leaving Blu Ray as the whole supported HD medium. The Failed Sony Gamble
Sony expected its Playstation 3 to be the Trojan horse that would bring this format into millions of homes the same way the Playstation 2 did with DVD. Both consoles had competent movie playback devices built in at the cheapest price, but the success of the Playstation 2 was not repeated with by its successor. Sony was too slow in getting the PS3 to the market as well as pricing it. It was recently reported that the Amazon Kindle eBooks pricing of $9.99 crumbled due in no small part to Apple. It has since been struggling to keep up with the current dominant console: the Nintendo Wii.
Even then, with the Playstation 3 having sold 10 million units – which is tantamount to the sales of 10 million Blu-ray players – only 10 million Blu-ray discs have been moved.
The Digital Distribution and DVD Headaches
- Photo: FotoSearch
It seems Blu-ray is being killed by its predecessor – the DVD. Given how few people owned HD TVs between 2006 and 2008, most users rightly claimed they could see no difference between a more expensive Blu-ray and a standard DVD on their television. The leap from DVD to Blu-ray was, to the naked eye, not nearly as noticeable as the comparable leap from VHS to DVD. Additionally, with ever-improving broadband speeds, people became quite accustomed to digitally downloading HD movies. Netflix proved this was a viable business and Apple and Microsoft soon followed suit. As for Microsoft, what many analysts think they were doing was not so much backing HD DVD, but rather hindering Blu-ray, so they could push their agenda with digitally distributed content. Microsoft, whose HD DVD player was an optional extra, never did much to promote the device other than to remind consumers it existed.
What Now?
Sales of all disc-based products around the world are rapidly diminishing – this is a fact. CDs, DVDs and even Blu-ray discs cannot escape the reality that the Internet has killed the physical medium. Having said this, the prohibitive pricing as well as the need to have a special television meant that the market was not ready for HD playback technology, and now that the market is ready, it appears that it is over Blu-ray before even having given it a chance. Even with its respectable start, and the greater penetration of HD TVs, it is clear Blu-ray will never have the success DVD did a mere generation before it.
