HDTV owners holding out on format war
Ready for your fortnightly (give or take a few days) dose of analyst conjecture in the drawn out format war? According to new numbers from NPD Group, just 11-percent of HDTV owners surveyed "strongly intend to buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD player by next spring," and moreover, nearly 75-percent of those consumers noted that standard DVD was "good enough for them." Ross Rubin, director for industry analysis at NPD, even went so far as to say that both players may "emerge as a premium, luxury item," rather than a successor to DVD. All in all, we'd agree that the average joe / jane isn't apt to pick a side in a deadlocked battle when prices are still comparatively high (for players and titles alike), and considering that the war is still so close after 1.5 years of feuding, it seems increasingly likely that a bona fide winner may not actually emerge. 'Course, we tend to think that one side will eventually gain the upper hand, but as of now, your guess is as good as ours as to which camp that will be.
