Blockbuster announced today that it would be offering Blu-ray Disc rentals at 1,700 stores. This set off alerts in the hi def world as news such as this could tip the scales in favor of Sony’s Blu-ray Disc format.
But this is just media hype that is no reason for alarms to go off. Blockbuster is not favoring Blu-ray. In fact, they already offer HD DVDs online. It is only a matter of time before HD DVD rentals hit their stores. What will they do with HD DVD player owners when they come to their stories looking for titles? Turn them away?
The format war, or “co-existence”, will continue:
While Blu-ray does have more studios supporting the format, and larger disc capacity, HD DVD has more consumer interest due to lower priced players. They also have the support of studio giant Universal, as well as some studios who release titles in both formats.
These two formats will co-exist until downloadable media takes over. I’m hoping there isn’t a winner. Watching the ups and downs of this race sure makes my day, and gives me something to write about.
I like Phillip Swann’s suggestion for Toshiba to offer a hi def player for $99. If they went with his advise they would definitely give Sony something to sweat about.
