July 26, 2005
04:42 PM US Eastern Timezone
Video Trade Association President Calls for
Compromise in High-Definition DVD Format War; VSDA Releases Document Outlining
'Baseline Criteria' for High-Def DVD
VSDA's Home
Entertainment 2005
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2005--Bo
Andersen, the President of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) today
called for compromise in the DVD format war, saying that "(t)he launch of a
single high-definition DVD format is unquestionably preferable to a 'format war'
that could cause consumer confusion and lead to a reluctance to embrace either
format." Andersen's remarks were made during his annual "State of the Industry"
remarks at VSDA's Home Entertainment 2005, the annual confab for the home
entertainment industry, which is taking place July 25-28 at the Bellagio Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Noting that the proponents of the competing Blu-Ray
and HD-DVD high-definition DVD formats have been unable to come to consensus on
a single high-definition DVD format, Andersen paraphrased Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address, stating "Now we are engaged in a great format war, testing whether the
next generation of packaged entertainment ... can long endure. We acknowledge
that the great battlefield of that war is not here, but across the Pacific. ...
Yet, retailers call for the elevation of compromise over conflict and a future
for all behind a unified format. It is altogether fitting and proper that we
should do this."
In conjunction with Andersen's call for a single high-definition DVD format,
VSDA released its "Baseline Criteria for High Definition DVD Format (From the
Retail Perspective)." In addition to advocating the adoption of a single
high-definition DVD format, the document also argues that, whatever format is
adopted, the features, dimensions, packaging, and marketing materials for
high-definition DVD must be designed to generate widespread consumer and
retailer support for the product.
"Baseline Criteria for High Definition DVD Format (From the Retail
Perspective)" is available by contacting VSDA at 818-385-1500 x266 or sbersell@vsda.org.
VSDA's Home Entertainment 2005 is organized through Home Entertainment
Events, in which the Video Software Dealers Association is a partner. For more
information about Home Entertainment Events and its shows, please send an e-mail
to info@heeteam.com.
Established in 1981, the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) is the
not-for-profit international trade association for the $24 billion home
entertainment industry. VSDA represents more than 1,000 companies throughout the
United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate more than 11,500
retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs, VHS cassettes, and
console video games. Membership comprises the full spectrum of video retailers
(from single-store operators to large chains), video distributors, the home
video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other
related businesses that constitute and support the home video entertainment
industry.
Source: BusinessWire
