HD DVD arrives in UK
by Brian Turner
The first HD DVD player has arrived in the UK.
It sets the the stage for a direct battle for the heart of the next generation DVD format.
At present, two rival technologies – HD DVD and Blu-ray – are looking to succeed the humble DVD, both of which offer significantly improved storage capabilities.
However, without a clear market leader, many commentators see a direct parallel between the VHS vs betamax video formats in 1980’s.
The first shot has already been fired in the UK – Toshiba’s HD-E1 is priced at just under £500, while the first Blu-ray player, Samsung’s DMPBDP1000, retails for more than twice as much.
The lower price will certainly work to carry consumer interest – but the biggest obstacle at present is that you need a HDTV to actually appreciate the difference in picture quality.
As has already been observed at HDTV News, HD TV sets just aren’t selling at present. Additionally, broadcasters are ramping up costs to help pay for the HD DVD broadcasts.
Even worse, though HD DVD will support existing DVD recordings, there are very few high definition titles currently available for purchase on DVD.
The sum of which is – there is precious little reason for HDTV, let alone HDTV players – to go mainstream at present.
However, the big gun has yet to fire.
Sony – which supports Blu-ray technology – has already installed it in it’s Playstation 3 console. Billed as a “home entertainment center”, it’s likely to be the biggest lever for getting next generation DVD technology into people’s homes.
The big question is whether a games console is really going to be enough to sell DVD technology for film and TV media.
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