Confusion seems to reign supreme over the next-gen of DVD formats among many consumers, including early adopters, according to a poll released at last week's CEA 2006 Industry Forum in San Francisco (HD Notebook, Oct. 18, 2006).
Findings announced at the CEA/CNET Tech First Panel indicate while general awareness of both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD is relatively high for early adopters, there still is much confusion over the basic differences between both incompatible formats, and the standoff between the two camps is causing many consumers to wait it out until one format emerges victorious, if that should ever occur. According to TWICE, the survey found:
• 24 percent of those polled are not sure if players of either HD disc format are compatible with the current standard DVD format.
• Less than 33 percent of early adopters are interested in buying an HD disc format player today.
• 81 percent are most concerned about the costs of the hardware and of updating existing DVD libraries.
