HD DVD has taken its first, tiny steps in the form of Toshiba’s HD-A1 player and some HD DVD movies that the movie studios has launched. Blu-ray will appear in a few months with its competing format and even if it may sound like a relatively short period of time analysts believe that HD DVD will grasp 70% of the market for high resolution DVD players in 2006, with Blu-ray second at 30%. AIB Research that has made this analysis says that the conditions may shift quickly and mentions PlayStation 3 as a key component in the struggle for market shares. PS3 sports Blu-ray, except from the obvious gaming features, and will be a utterly important part of Blu-ray’s success. Also Sony’s strong connection with the movie industry will be a trump for Blu-ray.
“Nevertheless, as time passes, complicating factors may shift the balance and Blu-ray may receive some increases in its market share. One of the main advantages the Blu-ray may have is that Sony’s PlayStation 3 will be able to playback Blu-ray discs and when it is launched, its large expected sales figures could change the market dominance picture dramatically.”
Source: X-bit Labs
