Video Asylum

Posted by Jazz Inmate (R) on August 31, 2007 at 12:14:17

In Reply to: RE: But Jazz, I thought you were in favor of peaceful coexistance between both sides now that we're in a format war. posted by Audiophilander on August 31, 2007 at 11:48:41

And I believe in both cases the alternative was better than the original. Most consumers adopting the formats reaffirmed that belief. Unfortunately, the industry never got behind the formats and that's an important part of the equation.

Competition is driving the prices down but so is the chipmakers' and manufacturers' ability to implement new technologies in consumer electronics. We all know that computers double in power and capacity every 17 months, or at least that's the theory. The electronics industry is not totally dissimilar. So prices come down fast.

Cheap universal players are not necessarily the answer. They weren't the answer for SACD and DVD-A and they won't be the answer for HDTV.

As for the idea that "The only folks hurting from overlapping releases are brick and mortar businesses", that is an assinine statement. Generating confusion in the marketplace hurts the market. If you don't show consumers a clear path to go forward and a clear next-generation technology, the average consumer will never upgrade. Heck, the average consumer doesn't understand HDTV and all its advantages over NTSC. You need to start thinking more about the market. Competing formats and universal players are not going to entice anyone but a niche.
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"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." -Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)