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Laserdisc never appealed to the general public because it stayed expensive and it wasn't a convenient way to watch movies with the bulky discs and so many side changes. Next-gen DVD formats appeal to anyone who owns an HDTV and wants something that matches the quality of their TV programming. Prices for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD players and media are bound to drop gradually over the course of the next few years, just like any new technology has in the last ten years. Eventually, players will get to the point where they're inexpensive enough for people to replace their existing DVD player, especially since they're backward compatible and you won't have to upgrade your entire library of DVDs. Until then, videophiles will determine the outcome of the next-gen media war.
Laserdisc was a hugely popular format in other countrys. Just because it wasn't big in the US doesn't mean it wasn't in other areas. Even so, it survived in the US for nearly twenty years for being a niche format. I don't think you'll see star wars on blu ray for some time because frankly, the user base for blu ray is extremely small and they would not make any money with a blu ray release next year.