The Death of HD-DVD

Not yet, but I'll start this thread to take it off the 360 hw gripes one. Why is Bluray succeeding when Betamax failed? Bluray players are more expensive than HDDVD ones, but it seems to be taking an edge in the format wars. And unlike some analysts, I fully expect 1 format to destroy the other, complete death of the loser resulting in 3 years time. Betamax died to competing VHS. Why? Pros Betamax had higher quality. Cons Betamax players cost more than VHS. Betamax has shorter record times (1hour vs 4 hours on VHS) Sony was trying to sell quality over quantity back then. It didn't work. Bluray players cost more. (con) Bluray has technical advantages over HDDVD.(pro) sounds like history should repeat! Why isn't the same thing happening now? BD has longer recording times compared to HDDVD, just as VHS had longer times than betamax. (one of the main reasosn why people chose VHS), blu ray has this going for them.... But this alone wouldn't be enough, since users back in the 80's picked the cheaper option, so that should mitigate the technological advantages. But the market has changed. Buyers are no longer looking for a (any) recording option for their TV sets. the market of HDef is BUILT around high quality and high priced HDTV sets and flatscreens. Technology IS the focus of this day and age, while it wasn't in the past. Ease of use and price was. Besides people back then where happy gathering at a friends house and play twister and bridge, while in today's world, a man's worth is built around the size of his HDTV. Today's market is a lot more willing to shell out more for a player if it meant that we can support the "theoretically superior" format. Sure, 30gb may be enough says HDDVD advocates, but why sell yourself short? Why get that 750cc motorbike when your p3nis is bigger riding around a 1000cc liter bike? If you are gonna spend $5000 bucks on a home theatre, what does an extra $300 really matter for a bluray? Nothing. it doesn't. Consumers decision process goes something like this: 1) look at the list of movies available exclusively on each format. Look at the list of studios supporting each format. 2) if #1 does not sway your decision, then all things being equal, 50Gb is BIGGER than 30GB no matter how you explain why you don't really need 50GB (yet) The market has learned its lessons from the Bill Gates of the world ("uh, 640k should be enough for everyone!") to know that MORE is better. Bigger is better. All things being equal. Why do I think there will there only be 1 champion? Why not the stalemate that so many others are proclaiming? Because it makes no sense for the market to have 2 formats. We've seen it time and time again. Sure, there are those optimists who think that studios will just end up supporting both formats, but c'mon jimmy, these studios will ditch you faster than that 1 night fling you had at the tequila bar last sat if money was involved. and it simply doesn't make business sense to support both, if you can help it. (especially since stores like BB have chosen already) Once there looks to be a leader in the wars, (and there seems to be now) all will jump ship. Especially since in this day and age, changing the production format of your content can't be too hard. So who loses? 360 owners. but they still have games to play, so they won't mind too much. Plus, in 3 years time, MS will have released a BD version of their 360 anyhow seeing that every 3 years consoles get upgraded. Real losers will be ones that bought HDDVD players. But hey, they were cheaper than BD players, so they won't cry a river. You can place it in the attic beside that old CED player. Sure, as some have mentioned analysts have been predicting that BD win since late last year, but it has been an even battle. But the straw that will break the camels back, as it were, is the recent blockbuster announcement. Because frankly, for those of us who don't care (the market) the deciding factor will be which of the formats I can find at the local store. Therefore, today will be known as the day HDDVD died. It will take 3 years in dying, but the prognosis was delivered today. flame away. :-)