The future of high-def DVDs became a lot clearer Tuesday after Toshiba said that by March it will stop making players for its HD DVD format, leaving Sony’s Blu-ray as the champion of the three-year format war.
But while that eliminates a big source of confusion for some consumers, others will still struggle to see how the change benefits them.
Universal and Paramount, which supported HD DVD, may have the hardest time. Their disc orders likely would come behind those of Blu-ray supporters Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, Sony and Warner Bros.
Warner’s decision last month to stop offering HD DVD led Best Buy, Netflix and Wal-Mart to follow suit, effectively making it unviable.
It wasn’t consumers who chose Blu-ray over HD DVD. It was the industry.
Toshiba said it might try to offer high-def videos without discs, for example on flash memory and wireless technologies.
Meanwhile, “A lot of consumers are still satisfied with their current DVD player and plan to continue using it until it breaks,” says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group.
That’s one reason Blu-ray backers and retailers are weighing deals to help HD DVD buyers switch.
You don’t want consumers to feel like they were burned by making the wrong choice, I’d expect to see some programs announced.
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