Electronics giant Sony
But things may be changing for the better for Sony on at least one front this year: Its Blu-ray format appears to be taking the lead over HD-DVD. According to an article in Home Media Magazine, which references research done by Understanding & Solutions, for each HD-DVD movie sold, consumers are springing for three Blu-ray titles. High-definition movie sales have done a 180-degree turn since the PS3 launch: Before the PS3 came out, HD-DVD movies outsold their Blu-ray counterparts by about three to one.
Sony was criticized for building the Blu-ray player into its PS3, rather than following Microsoft's
Will the Blu-ray lead continue? The cards seem to be stacking firmly in its favor. Although a stand-alone Blu-ray disc player is still more expensive than an HD-DVD player, prices for the Blu-ray players will certainly fall during the next year. Furthermore, Blu-ray has the support of most movie studios, and it's getting an extra kick in the pants from Amazon
I certainly wouldn't mind if Toshiba just let HD-DVD melt away. Living-room consumer electronics are already complicated enough -- you should see the tangle of wires connected to the back of my receiver. The existence of two high-def formats just adds to the complication.
For related reading:
- Intel's Interesting New Product
- Hybrids Are Where It's At
- A High-Definition Yawner
- Hear More with Silicon Image
Microsoft and Dell are Inside Value recommendations. Dell is also a Stock Advisor pick, as is Amazon. Try out these or any of our other Foolish newsletters for yourself, free for 30 days.
Fool contributor Dan Bloom holds no position in any company mentioned in this column.