While the two high-definition DVD formats are battling each other for market dominance consumers are having difficulty choosing from either disc format, which is slowing the growth of the HD market, says Windows client business manager Mike Hughes.
The DVD industry currently is very widespread and it cannot be denied that it has an incredible turnover, observes Hughes.
“However, it is difficult and potentially very interesting that we have dual high-definition standard that hasn’t been reconciled.
“I think everyone in the industry is disappointed that there isn’t a single standard that they can get behind.”
While the public is holding off from rushing into adopting one disc format over the other the ability to download high-quality video from the internet is increasing.
“However, the difficulty with downloads from the high-definition perspective is simply the amount of memory required to store these movies.
“It might be okay to download for a seven-day rental but to keep in perpetuity most people’s PCs would give up after about 50 films.”
This is why Hughes thinks that aside from the confusion over formats there is still a need for a hard copy.
“I find that people do like the disc format, they like to store them, they like the packaging, the flexibility of dropping a DVD into its box and taking it away: the portability.”
If Blu Ray and HD DVD do not take off, says Hughes, “people will circle back and start looking at virtual locker in the sky”, or online media storage.
By Marie Boran
