The Latest Skirmish

Implications: I can hardly wait until tomorrow to find out what is the next news release in the next generation DVD format battle. The stats are nice in this nascent industry, but it is still lying with statistics, so to speak. Earlier this week, there was a story that Sony was in the lead and today this article appeared, stating that Toshiba is in the lead. This represents the latest salvo in the format war.

Analysis: It is significant that the two organizations are attempting to keep up a solid pace of announcements and they are showing where they rank in the standings.

In the end, this is all directed at the trade press which people like me read every day – and that includes each of the respective team’s competitors and of course, the studios and other professionals in the home entertainment industry.

None of this will matter if the consumer does not read the stats and, more importantly, if the consumer does not purchase a Toshiba HD DVD player or even one from the Sony led Blu Ray camp.

However, as pointed out in the GLG News item a few days ago, Battling It Out –Skirmishes Continuing, the stats are not that important as the industry has not currently achieved critical mass. Either team could hit a few doubles or triples tomorrow and drive in a few runs that will gain them the lead or cement the lead in place – if even that is determinable.

In the end, when the player prices decrease dramatically and there is a larger base of HDTVs along with a sufficient supply of content, there may be an end to the skirmishes. Stay tuned for more.