Most Consumers Sitting Out The High-Def War

The New York Times notes that, despite the increasing variety of programs on the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, most US consumers are staying out of the DVD format war. This is a wise decision, the article states, because the two formats are essentially at a stalemate. "The two camps are victims of their own earlier success with DVD. The standard DVDs offered a quantum leap in quality from the picture and sound of VHS videotape, and for many that was more than adequate. In addition, DVD players that can convert images to near high-definition quality can be found for under $100, hundreds less than a true high-definition DVD player, further reducing the urgency to upgrade to one of the new formats."

Comments

I did it by accident

[DoofusOfDeath]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but...

I needed to do Linux development on a Cell processor, so I picked up a PS/3 and a 24" LCD monitor. At the time I thought that I needed an HDCP-compatible monitor in order to use the PS/3 in high-res mode. (I didn't realize that you only need a HDCP-enabled monitor if you want to watch Blue-Ray movies at high-res.)

So I accidentally joined the small group of people with a high-def setup. Oops.

Re:Waiting For Dual

[honestmonkey]

I don't think your analogy is quite right. VHS is not dogfood. I would say broadcast TV is dogfood. VHS allowed you to play back shows when you wanted, and record things off the TV. So lets say that VHS is a burger. Say a McDonald's burger, one of the cheap ones. DVDs bring that up to a good chicken dish, with a side of pasta and those breadsticks that are soft and warm. HD-DVD or BR might bring it up to lobster, but really, how often do you go have lobster? And that's just it. You go out to have lobster with all the trimmings and a good desert - movies. You don't usually bring home a lobster and cook it because it's a lot of trouble and it's just easier to stick with what's in the fridge. I mean the chicken is already defrosting and you have a can of the pop-n-fresh breadsticks. You've even got a bag of salad. For lobster, you'll need to get out the special plates, and melt some butter - do you even have butter, or just margarine? And your wife isn't a really a big fan of lobster, she'd just as soon have chicken. If she has to cook, she's not even sure how to cook the lobster anyway.

Mmmmm, breadsticks...