As a growing number of media publications are all but concluding that Blu-ray Disc has now achieved enough momentum (and subsequent studio support) to win the next-gen disc wars, there has been no definitive movement on the issue in either direction since the CES show earlier this month.
And at least one media analyst concludes that the real result of Warner Bros.’ decision to side exclusively with Blu-ray starting in May (made on the eve of CES) will be that both sides, and all consumers, will come out the losers.
“CES didn't come close to determining which format will win,” Krishna Chander, a senior analyst with iSuppli, told PC Retail. And while Blu-ray cannot claim a victory, both sides can claim to have lost something in their battle.
“Every day the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps spend prosecuting this standards war represents a day lost in their race to remain relevant,” Chander said. “Amid the rise of exciting new digital media offerings like YouTube, iTunes and on-demand services, the window of lucrative opportunity is closing for both standards.”
The analyst points out that Warner may have made its decision at least partly based on Blu-ray products experiencing lower price points in the short term, but might be ignoring the fact that they still remain more expensive than the HD DVD counterparts.
