Digital Home Thoughts: Microsoft: We Will Turn Tide of High-Def DVD Format War!

"Microsoft will be the difference in the high-def format war between HD DVD and rival Blu-ray. That's according to...Microsoft. Kevin Collins, Microsoft's "HD DVD evangelism director," tells TWICE magazine that the company's HDi interactive technology built into new HD DVD players will entice high-def owners to embrace the format. HDi enables viewers to re-edit movies, download trailers and participate in online polls among other activities. The interactive features will be found in new HD DVD discs that will take advantage of the player's Internet connection. "When the first titles with Web-enabled extras come to market, you will start to see the distinct disparity between the formats when it comes to interactivity," Collins told TWICE."



I respectfully disagree. While I do believe HD DVD will win, I think it will be on price, not on features. While bonus features and interactivity are nice, consumers are not willing to spend more money for them. High definition resolution may be a draw, but the jump in picture quality from DVD to HD is not nearly as dramatic as the transition from VHS to DVD. Good upscaling DVD players can nearly match the PQ of both HD formats, at a much lower price. Until one of the HD formats begins to compete with DVD on price, or at least get very close to it, neither is going to see widespread adoption. The real question we should be asking is: why are the studios and hardware manufacturers pushing HD? Because "we" want it? No. Because it gives them a reason to charge us more.