lordjedi said:
That article is nothing more than a pro Blu-ray gush piece. The news coming out of CES is that if Blu-ray doesn't take off this year, HD downloads are going to end up killing it or at least making it a niche market. He tries to address that in his article, but he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. Verizon is pushing HD content through FiOS...today. Time Warner has HD on demand...today. LG just released an HDTV that can stream HD video from Netflix (just plug an ethernet cable right into the TV). The only companies that are having problems pushing HD content are satellite (DirecTV and Dish). They don't have the capacity yet to deliver all the channels that are currently available in HD, but they are improving.

I really hope Blu-ray does take off, but I don't see it happening.

There's no such "news" coming out of CES about Blu-ray needing a decisive win this year. Big difference between news coming out of CES and opinion pieces in non-tech savvy publications like WSJ and CNN Money.

I've been hearing about media downloads for years. Even with iTunes' great success, it's still a fraction of a fraction of the total music market. Viable HD on demand as a replacement for physical media is years away. Years.

Have you seen the selection cable companies offer via HD on demand? It sucks, and thanks to low bitrate MPEG-2 and what are frequently older HD masters, it's artifact-ridden and a total blockfest during any type of fast motion, not to mention that stations like HBO and Starz crop 2.35:1 films to 16:9 to fill the screens of morons who prefer that shit. HD on demand is nowhere near being a Blu-ray killer.

The format is doing fine. It may not achieve the penetration of DVD well into its life due to the eventual arrival of viable HD on demand (Vudu perhaps?), but I don't think that's a valid measure of its success or failure, especially in today's market where HD on demand is a complete joke.