Wow, I guess it's not just videogame analysts who are insane.
Blu-ray discs will outsell standard DVDs in the U.S. by a 3-to-2 margin by 2012 as Blu-ray player prices fall, retailers clear more space for the format and more people use videogame consoles and other devices to watch the high-definition discs, according to a report released this week.
The optimistic "The World Ecconomy has no problems!" predictions from 2006/2007 had HDTVs reaching 50% adoption in 2010. We should all anticipate an ecconomy with higher food and energy prices, with slower wage growth and higher-unemployement, and difficult to access credit until (at least) 2010; which means that HDTV adoption will slow and probably not hit the 50% mark until mid to late 2011.
On top of this, we all probably know several people who have bought an HDTV but don't watch any HD content because that wasn't the primary reason they bought their TV. People (like my Mother) wanted an HDTV because she could hang it on the wall in her living room and it wouldn't take up much space, and was a far smaller eyesore ... Sadly enough, one of the first things she did was hook up a VCR to the TV so she could record her favourite shows.
Digital downloads and video on demand are gaining steam and, while they won't be a dominant format by 2012, they will certainly eat away at Blu-Ray adoption because many people consider convienience to be the ultimate high quality in a product.
