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I found this particular format war MOST interesting

64.12.116.195

Having lived through 4 track versus 8 track, and betamax vs VHS I found this particular format war most interesting.

First, the company that was able to bring the least expensive players to market didn't win.

Second, the probable technologically superior format won.

Third, this time it seemed that most of the game was played by the success of the competitors in lining up studios, not consumer preference.

Will this new world bring less expensive blu-ray players to market faster than when there was a format war, or will monopoly power now mean that prices can stay higher than they would have been had the battle raged on for awhile longer?

I still say the Blu-ray format has a long ways to go. Right now I can pick up a $25 480p player at Wal Mart and pick a movie out of the $5 cut-out bin there, and for 95 % of the people out there the quality is more than enough. Convincing most of these people that what they need is a $350 player and a $30 movie is going to continue to be an uphill battle--a novelty for the wealthy.

I feel most for the people who not only invested in an HD player, but also in a pile of HD movies that cost more than the player did. Now they have to keep a player supporting an obsolete format running in order to rewatch these expensive disks. And I suspect interest in developing players that can support both formats will soon subside, as overall there are not that many HD disks out there.

I guess it was ultimately better the format wars ended before the number of HD formatted movies in the hands of the public got any larger.
The studios never really cared who won this battle except that they didn't really want to make disks in both formats and thus were interested in selling high definition disks at wider than normal profit margins and thus betting on whoever would sell the most disks and therefore being the eventual winner.

Follow Ups:

competition: pre and post - Joe Murphy Jr 23:47:05 02/18/08 (0)
Before there was one format, the competition was between 2 manufacturers/formats -- Toshiba/HD DVD vs everybody else/Blu-ray. Now that there's one format, the competition is simply everybody. Prices will go down due to the natural competition between manufacturers.

HD DVD players were priced unnaturally low because the sole manufacturer was desparate to win, regardless of the cost. The consumer was given the biggest break in price for a new technology -- HD DVD -- because the format, for all intents and purposes, only had one CE company supporting it. You cannot say the same for the Blu-ray format. Companies need to make a profit and Blu-ray players, when you look at the history of the initial prices of new format technology, are not priced high (technically they're on the low side due to the Toshiba/HD DVD price cutting).

As far as the Blu-ray format winning, a format that was better on almost every step of the ladder, much was learned from history -- VHS vs Beta and DVD.
I also feel bad for the buyers, mainly those not "in the know". - grantv 12:29:17 02/18/08 (3)
I feel worst for the people who don't come to these types of sites, who would likely assume (and rightly so) that the format wouldn't just dissappear. Particularly those for whom the purchase was perhaps a stretch. Just how long do you keep your obsolete player? Do you continue buying movies? And then what if a few years down the road your player dies...? Is THAT when you cut your losses? At least most who visit sites like this regularly, were aware of the potential failure of their format.
- Us SACD adopters had it worse...Laserdisc adopters, too - Jazz Inmate 13:43:12 02/18/08 (2)
  Really, HD DVD was short-lived. My motto is: feel sorry for the people in Africa or others who really deserve it...not for early adopters who get burned trying to dabble in new technologies.
  -------------
  "I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." -Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)
  - RE: Us SACD adopters had it worse...Laserdisc adopters, too - usafwso 22:31:40 02/18/08 (0)
    I have a lot of SACD's and a Sony SCD-1 that is now used on a secondary system. Really for me, since I got the Chord Red Reference CD player, it is Redbook of course, will play the CD layer of a hybrid SACD. But, SACD is really now behind me. Still have a Pioneer LD-22 LD player, but rarely watch it anymore. It was great in it's day. I might have to unload it on Ebay.
  - Ouch. Point taken. - grantv 13:50:47 02/18/08 (0)
    As for LD and SACD:
    -LD was fairly long lived, so I think they pay-off was semi-reasonable.
    -SACD, I thought this format was still kicking, no? I always thought it the better alternative as DVD-A necessitated a screen IIRC.
yes!! Try selling caviar DVD players in the coming recession. nt - Duilawyer 09:23:51 02/18/08 (0)
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