Research firm Cymfony has released a study they did on Blu Ray versus HD DVD and the results are somewhat amusing. HD DVD fared better than Blu Ray, but what is interesting is not the what – it’s the why?
A large number consumers do not believe that Sony as a company can win the battle. They also believed that tying the Blu Ray into the PS3 was a bad decision, forcing consumers to pay a premium for the Blu Ray just to get a gaming console. Of course the Xbox360 has a leg up here. While not including support for either standard with their system, by offering it as an add on they can bring the initial cost down and have the ability to include either as an add on if they choose.
It is possible that some of the people who are looking at this format war are remembering the days of VHS against Betamax and how Sony lost that battle. Maybe not the majority, but with a large number of people holding Sony’s arrogance against them, many believe that they want to win the format war just so they can gouge the customer in the end. There must be some reason that so many people don’t trust Sony, and it is something that they really need to address.
