Over a Crunchgear they posted a poll showing that people consumers are likely going to skip the HD physical format and go straight to digitally delivered content. This doesn’t really surprise me much. I knew Blu Ray would win the format war a year before HD threw in the towel. It was very simple to forsee really. First, Sony included the new hardware player into their latest gaming system. The logical progression for consumers purchasing a PS3 was to buy Blu Ray discs. The second nail in the coffin of the HD DVD format was the partnerships with Disney. Kids love Disney. Parents want to buy their kids Disney movies. I think you get the picture. Let’s not forget that it’s not just Disney, but the pantheon of other media outlets merged into the media juggernaut. Combine this with a gaming station and you have the formula for instant win.
The plot thickens. Sony was likely counting on the 10 year technology curve for consumer adoption of new media. Remember Beta vs. VHS? Of course you don’t and that’s because the technology trend curve is out the window now. To really mainstream Blu Ray, Sony needed bring the pricin down to a consumer level almost immediately. Predictably the did not, they had to try and make a return on their investment. Thus when the technology rapidly became available to stream HD media over the internet, what need was there to go and buy a $300 player plus $30 discs? The problem with any media outlet is that their so reluctant to give up on a cash cow that they can’t stay current. We have Hulu now growing into it’s own monstrous entity and with readily available net top boxes with HDMI output you’ve pratically got a commercial free HDR unit that doesn’t require any storage.
Obviously the studios are getting antsy but eventually broadcast TV is going to go the way of the floundering newsprint industry. People just don’t need it, they have faster ways to get their information and entertainment. Since they’re already paying for an internet connection why pay more for redundant services?
