An article in the New York Times looks at the format-war between the two incompatible formats used in next-generation high-definition DVDs - Blu-ray, developed by Sony, and HD DVD, from Toshiba. Together they have sold about a million standalone players (Sony PS3’s can also play Blu-ray discs) but this is fair short of the number of high-definition televisions sold. As the article notes people are simply not buying these new players. It states:
Not many consumers are interested in even taking a look. According to research by NPD Group, only 11 percent of HDTV set owners strongly intend to buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD player by next spring. Almost three-quarters of those HDTV owners surveyed said that standard DVD was good enough for them.
Given this preference for their existing DVD players – ending the format-war may not be enough. The price of a next generation player must fall drastically to attract buyers – but these price cuts are precisely what the electronics manufacturers don’t want.