Is Blu-ray in Trouble, Too?

LOS ANGELES — On the heels of rapidly dropping prices for Blu-ray players, some online analysts are speculating that the format is in a "death spiral," meaning that both major competitors in the battle for the next generation of home video may have lost.

Robin Harris of ZDNet.com argues that because of a dwindling market share and the advent of easy high-definition download, Blu-ray is doomed.

"Delusional Sony exec Rick Clancy needs to put the crack pipe down and really look at the market dynamics," Harris said. "In a nutshell: consumers drive the market and they don’t care about Blu-ray’s theoretical advantages. Especially during a world-wide recession. Remember Betamax? SACD? Minidisk? Laser Disk? DVD-Audio? There are more losers than winners in consumer storage formats."

Harris also blamed Blu-ray's supposed demise on the protracted war with the HD DVD format, saying that the format war "squandered" initial enthusiasm for the new format. In addition, improved quality from standard has made it possible to deliver near high-def quality to HD TV sets, according to Harris.

But not everyone's measuring the coffin for Blu-ray. Engadget's Ben Drawbaugh conceded that physical formats would probably fade away some time in the future, but he added that the emergence of downloadable high-def programming is not a herald of Blu-ray's end times.

"Those who proclaim the death of Blu-ray will one day feel as silly as those who proclaimed the death of VHS in the 1990s because of the birth of VOD, because here we are over 10 years later and JVC just now stopped producing stand-alone VHS decks and combo units still sell," he said.

Toshiba, which championed the competing HD DVD format, stopped making HD DVD discs in February, citing major changes in the marketplace.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Arcom to Expand AV Enforcement to Smaller Adult Sites

The president of French media regulator Arcom revealed on Thursday that the agency plans to escalate its enforcement of age verification rules to include smaller adult sites, starting in late 2025 or early 2026.

AEBN Publishes Report on MILF, Cougar Trends

AEBN has published a report on MILF and Cougar categories from its straight theaters.

Pornhub to Shut Down Access in Arizona Over Age Verification

Aylo will geoblock Pornhub across Arizona starting Sept. 26, when the state’s age verification law, HB 2112, goes into effect.

Flirtback Launches Zcash Crypto Payment Solution

Creator platform Flirtback has launched its Zcash (ZEC) crypto payment solution.

Vixen Media Group Appoints Samuel Spencer as President, COO

Vixen Media Group (VMG) has named industry veteran Samuel Spencer as its new president and chief operating officer.

French Telecoms Mogul Ignites AV Firestorm With Free VPN, Sarcastic Tweet

French billionaire Xavier Niel, founder of telecommunications giant Iliad, sparked a heated debate this week when he appeared to admit that the company's Free Mobile wireless carrier integrated no-cost VPN into its service specifically to circumvent age verification restrictions on adult content.

UPDATED: Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

Taliban Restricts Access to Adult Content by Shutting Down Internet

The Taliban has shut down internet access across a large portion of Afghanistan in a move to prevent what it deems "immoral activities."

Go.cam Adds Video Spoofing Protection for AV

Go.cam has announced that its verification solution now features security against video spoofing.

SexLikeReal Releases 'VR Self-Care' Guide

SexLikeReal (SLR) has published a blog post spotlighting “VR Self-Care.”

Show More