TECHNOLOGY NEWS & COMMENT

Sweet Revenge, Tech Style:
Sony’s Blu-Ray Sends Toshiba’s HD-DVD Down for the Count

Decades after ending up on the losing side of the first home-video revolution, Sony has emerged as the presumptive victor in the high-def DVD format war. For months, neither Toshiba’s HD DVD technology nor Sony’s Blu-Ray technology could gain the upper hand. Both delivered a high quality DVD experience for home viewers, but the two systems were incompatible, making it a hard decision for would-be consumers. The choice was so hard, in fact, that may people avoided choosing altogether.

Then, in recent weeks, the rug was pulled out from the Toshiba HD DVD platform. Major Hollywood studios announced they would cease making their films available in both formats and that future releases would only be available on Blu-Ray. Both the Blockbuster and Netflix indicated that they planned to stock high definition DVDs only in Blu-Ray. Finally, in a mortal blow, Wal-Mart weighed in, saying that it, too, would only deal with Blu-Ray in the future. It was all too much for Toshiba to manage, and so it surrendered in short order. Microsoft, which had stayed loyal to the HD DVD format, then gave up, too. Thus, years after its Betamax videotape-recording system lost out to VHS, Sony emerged victorious in the latest home-video technology battle.

Undoubtedly, Sony’s Blu-Ray victory will help sales of its PlayStation 3 gaming system, which includes that technology in its consoles. Indeed, last year Sony came up short of expectations in the growing video game arena. Instead, Nintendo’s innovative and far less expensive Wii system was all the rage.

A perplexing shortage of Wii units over the holiday season created a near fenzy for anxious consumers, adding to Wii’s aura. But it is debatable whether or not Nintendo will be able to retain the notoriously fickle attention of the gaming world. Now that the novelty of the Wii is wearing off and that that Blu-Ray has gained the upper in the high-definition home video arena, Sony’s position in the game console world also looks brighter.

Still, although Blu Ray’s success must be a satisfying victory for Sony executives and the company’s fans, it may be a short-lived one. As the penetration of broadband Internet service into American homes increases, and as that technology continues to develop ways to deliver huge amounts of data at ever increasing speeds, the whole DVD market — high-def included — may soon face its greatest challenge. Sooner rather than later, Internet technology may render video disks of any sort obsolete. Indeed, Apple’s entry into the Internet movie-rental market may herald dramatic changes in the area. Who knows how long before today’s victor, Blu-Ray, joins Betamax and VHS in the dustbin of home-viewing technologies?

But that will be another day. For now, Sony is the clear leader in this category.

–G. Arnold, Editor