Or so says Robert Heiblim, an independent consultant to electronics companies. "While they fight, Rome is burning. High-definition video-on-demand and digital video recorders are compelling, and people will say, 'Why do I need it?' when considering whether to buy a high-definition player.
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In the meantime, other companies are making it easier to watch and copy high-definition movies. Scientific-Atlanta has a new set-top box with a digital video recorder and DVD recorder built in, so cable subscribers can use a single machine to record programming and burn it onto blank discs. "Consumers are getting hooked on video-on-demand and the flexibility of moving content around the home," said Ted Schadler, an industry analyst at Forrester. "The battle over the format is silly. For the product to grow, they have to promote the benefits of HD, not battle each other." |
Both standard and high-definition contrent is already being offered by cable and satellite, with the hard disc recorder to capture it for viewing at ones convenience. According to figures provided for this article from the Leichtman Research Group, the percentage of cable customers who watch on-demand TV has doubled in the past year, to 23 percent.
Let's hope that the demos at this years CES will be the final front for this format squabble, there is certainly not enough room for two formats in todays market. Each day the segment gets smaller as people get comfortable with other solutions. CD Freaks will be there asking questions, that is for sure.
Source: Rocky Mountain News
