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Paramount, Dreamworks back HD DVD, drop Blu-ray
jimjim:
Blockbuster and Target are backing Blu-ray, now this bombshell is going to further the divide. People make comparisons to the the Beta/VHS war, but that was over in a heartbeat. I don't think that this will end shortly.
It was predicted the PS3 would make it a slam dunk for Blu-ray, but the PS3 has not sold as well as expected. I think the only hope is for players that play both formats to come down in price.
Here is the link to the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-08-20-paramount-dreamworks-blu-ray_N.htm
patrickl:
--- Quote from: jimjim on August 20, 2007, 03:00:27 pm ---People make comparisons to the the Beta/VHS war, but that was over in a heartbeat.
--- End quote ---
Not sure how fast your heart beats, but didn't that one last for about a decade? Even Video 2000 lasted for several years.
jimjim:
Actually, it wasn't even a "war" when talking about home entertainment. Unless you are referring to when the last Betamax rolled off the assembly line in 2002 as being the actual length of winning/losing. I'm sure HD DVD and Blu-ray will be around for years to come. I really talking about market share allowing one to dominate enough that there is no question on what will be the defacto format for home entertainment use.
From Wikipedia,
"By 1981, U.S. Betamax's sales had sunk to only 25% of all sales...In the UK, Betamax held a 25% market share, but by 1986 it was down to 7.5% and continued to decline further".
If you figure the % dropped every year after 1981, when was the outcome ever in doubt? I don't know if anybody thought that there was going to be a sudden change to reverse the trend, but being old enough to live through those years, I remember it being difficult to find Betamax rentals, whereas VHS Mom and Pop stores were springing up everywhere.
In the case of Blue-ray vs. HD-DVD, situations change daily. I thought the Blockbuster rental agreement was the signal, but I guess that may not be true.
patrickl:
started in 1975 though.
DaveMMR:
Yeah. I'm sitting this High-Def DVD/Blu-Ray war out until a winner is chosen (or there's a handsomely price combo unit on sale when I have money burning a hole in my pocket).
At least the DVD vs. DIVX ("Digital Video Express" - not the codec) war was easy to choose sides for back in the late 90's.
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