Video Asylum

Posted by townsend (A) on February 15, 2008 at 15:39:40

In Reply to: RE: Another major retailer (Wal-Mart) to go Blu-ray exclusive... posted by Russell on February 15, 2008 at 08:56:09

With HD DVD out of the way, it will be interesting to see what happens to blu-ray.

Blu-ray still faces two "threats." (By the way, videophiles aren't one of them. Duh . . .)

1) standard DVD--the average consumer is happy with it, and won't give a "look" (pun intended) at blu-ray unless there is added value. For blu-ray to achieve critical mass, the average consumer has got to jump in the game, and the average consumer will insist on less expensive blu-ray hardware and software.

2) Hi def video download may very well pose a threat, though at this time, I think such talk is slightly premature. (Downloading music is a different animal than downloading video. Downloaded music can be played on a portable handheld device; for video, screen size is important.) Nonetheless, blu-ray needs to move fast. Why risk a potential competitor on the horizon? Just my two cents.

P.S. Glad to see that such movies as Once Upon A Time in America, The Sand Pebbles, and Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid are coming to blu-ray.

YMMV, perhaps greatly . . .

Edits: 02/15/08