Sony is adamant that Blu-ray will win the HD format war and as such is each quarter rolling out new features and upgrades. However GfK research shows that Australians are not adopting the new HD formats quickly, particularly if one takes out the PS3 Games Console and the attached Xbox 360 HD DVD player.
PS3 is expected to soon offer a firmware upgrade to boost its Blu-ray interactivity functionality, noted Sony's Eklund.
The Managing Director of Sony Pictures Michele Garra claims that Sony will win the Blu-ray Vs HD DVD war, however several analysts and Toshiba General Manager Mark Whittard disagree. Last week Whittard dropped a time bomb under Sony's plans by dropping the price of the entry level HD DVD player to sub $500. Sony is expected to follow Toshiba's lead.
And while supporters of the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc high-definition formats lock horns all participants ultimately agreed they were heartened by the fact that consumers are adopting high-def discs, even slowly.
"The chances are pretty slim" that high-def won't succeed, said Don Eklund, executive VP of advanced technologies for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "There are obstacles in getting consumers to appreciate it, but it's inevitable.
When it was put to Michele Garra that fast broadband and an abundance of downloadable HD content from the web may impact both Blu ray and HD DVD in the future she said "It could do but no one knows. What is key to the battle is content and the support of movie studios for Blu ray".
