Could the war be over? Most will think of the war in Iraq, and although that would be a logical jump, I speak of the HD format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
High definition DVD’s have been out just under two years, and in that time consumers have been faced with a difficult decision. They must buy their DVD’s in either HD-DVD, or Blu-ray format, and hope their investment comes out as the winner in the format war. For the record, both technologies are incompatible with each other. Many have stayed away from the decision, fearing plunging money into the wrong medium and the other side of the coin winning out. For me, I’m typically an early adopter of technology, but in this case, I’ve remained distant. I don’t want to get caught with a box of Beta tapes, when the VHS battle is concluded – or so to speak. Now that was interesting.
Historical industry pundits and consumer alike agree Beta was the superior format to VHS. Better quality, better durability, and better overall performance. But, as history clearly displayed, VHS won the format war and became the film distribution and recordable benchmark for years (until digital discs became mainstream). However, in a little know fact, the reason VHS actually won the format war? Porn. The porn industry universally threw its weight behind VHS and that was the killing blow, so to speak, for Beta.
Though the modern porn industry is as yet undecided regarding the currently digital format war, a major step was recently taken by Warner studios who have decided to change sides and come out in support of Blu-ray. With the move, five of the big seven Hollywood studios now back Blu-ray Disc, with only two, Paramount and Universal, backing HD-DVD. And although Microsoft and Intel still remain firmly behind HD-DVD, this defection could spell the the beginning of the end.
I’ve always thought Blu-ray Disc would win the war. Their presentation, marketing, and overall appeal has been excellent. It seems eight of ten movies advertised on DVD come with Blu-ray (think about it). If I was forced to pay money for a player today, I would, without hesitation, purchase a Blu-ray player and feel comfortable.