Samsung backs dual Blu-ray, HD DVD player, destroying hopes of quick format war

Adam Turner
Monday, 16 April 2007 23:50

Opinion and Analysis

Hopes for a quick end to the high-def format war are fading as Samsung follows LG's lead with the announcement of a dual Blu-ray/HD DVD player.

The move comes as a major blow to the Blu-ray camp, as Samsung was one of its staunchest supporters. Samsung released one of the first Blu-ray players last year but is now set to release a dual-format late this year. To add insult to injury, Samsung hasn't ruled out HD DVD-only player as well.

Thanks to Sony, Blu-ray has long been winning the propaganda war against HD DVD. Blu-ray is making headway in movie sales as well, although this was skewed by Sony's give-aways with the PlayStation 3. The Blu-ray camp continually declares it has already won the format war and such arrogant claims were starting to become reality, but Samsung may have undone all this hard work. Consumers who were thinking it was safe to tip Blu-ray as the likely winner must now be reconsidering. Were a HD DVD only manufacturer like Toshiba defecting to Blu-ray, Sony and co's propaganda machine would go into overdrive, but the HD DVD camp is slow to capitalise on such opportunities. Such a weakness is exactly why many commentators have already predict HD DVD's demise.

Despite what Samsung says about offering a dual-format player to give consumers choice, this move is not good for consumers. Like on the battlefield, a short war with a clear winner creates stability and public confidence. The industry needs people to vote with their wallets, choose a winner and move on. By sitting on the fence with a dual-format players, Samsung and LG are slowing mass adoption of one format. This keeps prices high, which further slows mass adoption.

After Betamax's loss to VCR in the last video format war, consumers aren't keen to get burned again and they'll keep their money in their pockets until one format is dead and buried. There can be only one.