Video Asylum

Posted by jsm (A) on December 02, 2007 at 12:32:16

In Reply to: RE: Latest USA movie numbers show HD DVD losing share posted by Ole Lund Christensen on November 29, 2007 at 07:13:54

I make no claim to be able to accurately predict what is going to happen. I have no idea what really would happen if HD DVD ruled the US, but BD ruled the rest of the world. I have no idea what effect the joker in the deck, Microsoft, may have on the final outcome. But for now, it's just hard to go too far wrong buying a cheap HD DVD player, especially if one is going to stick to rental discs. IF BD wins, fine, I'll get one once things settle down a bit and things get standardized. If HD DVD wins, I'll probably get a higher-quality one that this cheapo Toshiba. Of course, something else could come along and knock both out, but I sort of doubt that for the immediate future. Someday it will surely happen.

Maybe B&M stores that sell and/or rent HD DVDs should also rent the players. That would be a way to really get people hooked on the players, and I'd bet the makers would be fighting to have theirs in the stores; they'd give them to the stores for free. That could have an interesting effect on the dynamic.

Joe