I made the prediction when the format was announced and I will stand by it--Blu-ray will be the last major optical media video format for the same reason that CD Audio was the last major optical media audio format.
If anything, Blu-ray might end up being a slightly more successful DVD-Audio-like format, leaving DVD to be the last major optimal media video format, or perhaps something in between.
The biggest mistake lies in the fact that Blu-ray is quite honestly a waste of bits; modern video formats can put near-transparent 1080p video onto dual-layer DVDs. Blu-ray often tries to waste these extra bits by using pointlessly high bitrates (upwards of 40 megabits), absurdly outdated video formats (MPEG-2), and/or multiple audio streams, many of which are atrociously oversized (5.1-channel 24-bit LPCM). While the space could be put to good use and used to provide extra value (e.g. more TV show episodes per disc, etc), it's just wasted because such improvement for the consumer would cost the movie industry money.
Never mind the fact that an inordinate number of Blu-ray disks are encoded or mastered so badly that they look worse than a good DVD (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is a great example of this).
The end result is that Blu-ray is the first optical format for which it is likely that piracy is more popular than actually buying the disks.
this just in: products with low demand sell poorly. what is happening to sony is a case where company gets so big that it loses sight of the fact that you make money by giving people what they want. sony thinks it can dictate consumer preference. I will laugh as they crash and burn.
Sony won't be going anywhere anytime soon, sure their sales are dwindling in a different market but I'm sure the ps3 will be able to make it through another generation of consoles just like the ps2 just now they have to rely on their other businesses. For Sony that shouldn't be very hard.
who here is talking about their gaming division specifically? Sony has been screwing up in all their core businesses for years with poor customer service and poor prices:features. As a result their revenues are way down.
If anything, Blu-ray might end up being a slightly more successful DVD-Audio-like format, leaving DVD to be the last major optimal media video format, or perhaps something in between.
The biggest mistake lies in the fact that Blu-ray is quite honestly a waste of bits; modern video formats can put near-transparent 1080p video onto dual-layer DVDs. Blu-ray often tries to waste these extra bits by using pointlessly high bitrates (upwards of 40 megabits), absurdly outdated video formats (MPEG-2), and/or multiple audio streams, many of which are atrociously oversized (5.1-channel 24-bit LPCM). While the space could be put to good use and used to provide extra value (e.g. more TV show episodes per disc, etc), it's just wasted because such improvement for the consumer would cost the movie industry money.
Never mind the fact that an inordinate number of Blu-ray disks are encoded or mastered so badly that they look worse than a good DVD (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is a great example of this).
The end result is that Blu-ray is the first optical format for which it is likely that piracy is more popular than actually buying the disks.