Having emerged victorious to become the dominant High Definition format, Blu-ray now faces another battle with new technology and also from an unlikely adversary, the good old fashioned DVD.
Having seen off the Toshiba backed 'HD DVD' format, Sony could have been forgiven for thinking they would be able to sit back and reap the rewards from their shiny new technology. A number of trends are emerging however that threaten the long term future of Blu-ray.
Consumers are now seeing a growing choice of High Definition content they can access directly through their TV's. Sky and to a lesser extent Virgin Media BT 'Vision' and Freesat offer a growing choice of HD material. The convenience of this type of access places a Blu-ray player firmly in the shade. With the growing popularity of PVR's (Personal Video Recorders) including Sky+ and Virgin Media's own offering, consumers can store a vast amount of HD programmes to view at their leisure.
Surprisingly, the good old DVD is making something of a comeback. Most of us appreciate the quality of the Blu-ray format, but many of us are quite happy to hang on to our collection of DVD's. It didn't help that Blu-ray players were initially quite costly and films in the new format are still relatively expensive, offering no where near the choice of DVD. Even discounted Blu-ray films can't come close to the growing number of back catalogue films for £2.99 at your local supermarket. DVD players can now be bought for as little as £9.99!
Secondly, a growing number of manufacturers have long appreciated the potential for 'upscaling' technology as an intermediate solution. Upscaling DVD players use complex mathematical algorithms to enhance DVD quality. About a third of DVD players are now being sold with upscaling technology, which continues to improve.
Ironically, the manufacturer most closely associated with the failed HD DVD format, Toshiba, may have the last laugh. Toshiba are hoping to get a slice of the HD market with their XDE (extended definition) upscaling technology. XDE technology has the ability to upscale TV images as well as conventional DVD's to 720p, 1080i or 1080p. The budget XD-E500 DVD player is the first UK product to feature XDE technology with Toshiba hoping to tempt consumers with a much more affordable HD experience.
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