Anilrgowda

A month ago I wrote that I was "endlessly fascinated" by the ways the HD DVD and Blu-ray groups declare victory in any given month. Less than a few hours later, I realized I wasn't really, not anymore. So I've been ignoring the reports that have come out since then, including the most recent bit of Blu-ray bluster based on the format's dominance in Europe (when the PS3's built-in Blu-ray player is factored in).

When I first saw the press release yesterday, I rolled my eyes and moved on, wondering when someone would announce something actually interesting. But after seeing endless blog postings and comments on the subject, I have to wonder: are people really taking these figures seriously? Or, perhaps more to the point, do people really think the two consortia take these figures seriously?

I understand that the fear of being tagged the Betamax of the next-gen optical format war pretty much forces each consortium to retaliate to the other's claim of dominance. (The Blu-ray release was, in fact, on the heels of an HD DVD camp claim that they rule Europe in hardware sales, not counting PS3s; the Blu-ray group charge that PS3s count. A lot.) But the fact of the matter is that no one really knows if hardware or software is the deciding factor in a format war, and if so, which features of that hardware and software are most important to consumers.

Even if we were to definitively state that it's a hardware thing -- that more players means clear-cut victory -- the existence of the PS3, the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, and computer readers/burners completely muddies the waters. Looking at this recent spat, the Blu-ray group can't honestly count every PS3 because some people just bought the things to play games. At the same time the HD DVD group can't totally discount every PS3 because some people bought them to watch movies and/or play games.

In short, the old saying was right. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. All of these press releases are little more than spin driven by fear, as well as a means of treading water until a killer blow can hopefully be landed. We should be ignoring them, not encouraging them.


Comments

Emru, buddy: I had no ideer you were the author of that FireWire piece to which I posted a comment, just that it was a well written piece on an interesting trend. Cheers from me, and nice seeing you here too!
As for this blog entry: I'm so sick of this format war, it hurts. It's the kind of thing that gives Luddites infinite fodder and ammo to aim at those of us willing to embrace (worthy) new technology, since all this crap just serves to make us all look like idolatrous idiots. (And it was bad enough when a universal format like CDs came out!)
Is it just me, or does all these petty battles remind one of a far-less-profound version of that black-and-white aliens episode of a really cool old Star Trek episode?