Blockbuster Entertainment has picked a winner in the in the struggle of the high-def discs, choosing Blu-ray over HD DVD. Could this be the decisive moment in the format war?
The software giant had already been carrying both formats at 250 of its stores. Blu-ray was outselling HD DVD. So when Blockbuster decided to extend high-def discs to more stores, it decided to focus on Blu-ray. BD will be carried in between 1450 additional stores, bringing the total to 1700. HD DVD will continue to be sold in the original 250 stores and online.
"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," said senior VP Matthew Smith to the Associated Press.
Toshiba responded that Blockbuster is "limiting a choice for consumers."
Whether the move will establish a winner in the eyes of consumers, effectively ending the format war, remains to be seen. But software has been the weak link for both formats, with each one boasting only a few hundred titles in circulation. If Blockbuster is making shelf space for Blu-ray, the studios have a stronger motivation to release in BD. All eyes are now on Netflix.
Writer :Mark Fleischmann
