From: Don in ClevelandQ: Frank, you mentioned some time ago in one of your articles on high definition about how you thought Blu Ray would beat HD DVD in the format race. It came to be true. What do you see happening next?
A: Even though Toshiba threw in the towel on HD DVD, the battle for Blu Ray is far from over.
Here's why.
Blu Ray is still going to be battling against regular DVD's for consumer loyalty. Keep in mind, Blu Ray and the equipment needed to watch them is still relatively expensive compared to a tradition DVD player. I think it will still take a few years before Blu Ray will gain any firm ground in that battle - even with the proliferation of HDTV.
Also I suspect in short order, Blu Ray itself may be on the verge of extinction. Other distribution platforms like Video on Demand (VOD) will become more common place as cable and Internet based systems, like AT&T's U-Verse, lay the infrastructure to deliver more products right into the living rooms of consumers without additional equipment purchases needed.
Why would you need to buy any DVD when you can just request it at any time on your remote. If you doubt this, think of how few CD's you went to the store and bought in the last several years since the Internet now offers such easy to download platforms as I-Tunes, for example. TV and movies are mere baby steps behind.
You can email your questions to me: fmacek@wkyc.com
