Report: Next-Gen Formats No Immediate Threat to Standard DVD
Posted Wed Apr 5, 2006 at 01:33 PM PDT by
The media may be breathlessly tracking each move in the launch of two new high-def DVD formats with expectations that the outcome will fundamentally change the DVD market, but a new report predicts that today's standard DVD format will continue to lead the industry, even enjoying
robust growth throughout the rest of the decade.
"The future is all about high-def DVD players -- however, the future may be farther off than we would like," said Chris Kissel, of research firm In-Stat, which released the report. "These players will enter the market at premium prices, and as there has been no compromise between the HD-DVD camp and the companies that sponsor Blu-Ray technology, a format battle seems inevitable. There will be some casualties, companies and consumers alike."
The firm predicts that standard-def DVD players and recorders will continue to increase in yearly units sold worldwide up to 2010, at which point most of the high manufacturing and parts costs associated with the higher priced next-gen disc formats are forecasted to decline considerably.