I found this article through the forum at AVManiacs.com. The article is published by the New York Times about how Hollywood is doing in these economic "downturns" (what a nice word). The article explains that during economic crisis, Hollywood usually comes out ahead because people search for some type of escapist entertainment, and usually it is cheap enough to maintain that pleasure. Generally, DVDs are a cheap form of entertainment, and even cheaper are that of downloading movies or even renting. But I have some gripe about the article. You can read the entire article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/business/21dvd.html?_r=2&ref=business

But here is a snippet which has put a ringing in my ear that I feel I want to express

And Blu-ray discs still cause widespread confusion in the marketplace, with shoppers doubtful Blu-ray is here to stay after a lengthy format war with a rival technology. Indeed, 57 percent of standard DVD customers say they are “waiting to make sure Blu-ray is really the standard the industry will stick with,” according to an industry study released last week.

 My qualm about this statement is that, I do not think people are confused about Blu-ray due to the format war. I think it was clear of why the format war existed and what it was about. It was about an introduction of a high definition format by competing manufacturers. Perhaps, in the beginning, people did not understand what high definition was, nor how it differs from standard DVDs. At this point in time, almost a year after the demise of HD-DVD, it is not whether the industry will stick with Blu-ray, its more of a question of whether Blu-ray can survive the economic downturn. 

If the economy was healthy today, I would surmise the war might have lasted longer. If the economy was healthy today, I would say that, provided Blu-ray was the winner, there would be less confusion about Blu-ray and probably a stronger push by studios and manufacturers to get people buying Blu-ray. The problem is not whether the industry will stick with it, but whether people can afford to upgrade to Blu-ray. So it is not about their confusion, its about their wallet. If people ar confused, its only because they are ignoring it out of financial necessity, not because of the format war.

And so, due to the fact that less people can afford Blu-ray, it does put the question of whether or not Blu-ray will survive the economy, thus, is it a necessity at this point (which then, and only then, points to whether the industry will stick with it)?

A good point of reference you can check is the Nielson Ratings which one our members posts weekly showing DVD and Blu-ray sales going up and down throughout the year.  

So what is your take on the DVD market? Is Blu-ray not catching on because people are truly confused? Or do you think the economy is keeping people more distanced from expensive items? I would like to hear your opinions and thoughts, please post them in our forum.