Paramount says no way to Blu-Ray.

By Chris, Crispy Quips Administrator http://crispyquips.wordpress.com

All you sorry souls who shelled out $600 bucks for a PS3, take note: I’ll bet you anything you won’t find Blu-Ray movies a year from now.

The Blu-Ray recession has already begun, with Paramount officially stating that it will no longer be putting out films on Blu-Ray discs. Instead, the studio will be releasing on HD-DVD (as well as good ol’ DVD), touting the HD-DVD format as offering better quality at a lower cost.

It is true (and Sony is quick to point out) that Blu-Ray has been outselling HD-DVD 2-to-1 in the United States. But the formats are young, and those initial sales figures are reliant on the PS3 being the predominant Blu-Ray player in the US.

Therein lies the problem: PS3 sales are slowing, and as both DVD formats mature, people are looking elsewhere for players.

As of the writing of this article, the cheapest Blu-Ray player in the United States is US$499.

The cheapest HD-DVD player is US$299.

Ah, but don’t worry: I’m sure those “stellar” PS3 sales will push the envelope. Unless sales keep slowing, that is.

This isn’t the first time Sony has screwed up in a format war. In fact, it could be considered the fourth.

Older readers may remember BetaMax, which aimed to take on another competing format, known as VHS. BetaMax boasted superior quality to VHS, both for movies and home recording, plus it had a smaller package.

The problem: Sony kept the format closed, to maximize its profits, and charged a hefty licensing fee for studios wanting to release movies on BetaMax. The outcome was less movies and more expensive players. VHS ruled for the next fifteen years.

When the PSP came out, Sony touted UMD (Universal Media Disc) as a great many things, one of which was, in fact, a DVD replacement. Before the console’s release, there was talk of stand-alone UMD players and recorders, taking advantage of the UMD’s small footprint. But again, Sony closed the format, not allowing any stand-alone players or any recording capabilities. Studios still released movies on UMD, but they only played on PSP. The result? Just two years into it, the format is devoid of new releases, destined to be PSP-proprietary forever.

Let’s not forget MiniDisc. Anyone ever have one? Exactly. ‘Nuff said.

And now we have Blu-Ray. The licensing is more expensive than HD-DVD. Sony controls the format. This makes players more expensive… anyone see a trend? But this failure will be far more unfortunate than the rest.

The funny thing is that it is possible to profit on a format without killing it. Sony seems incapable, but Philips has done it for years. Philips, the primary developer of the DVD format, receives a kick-back for every DVD sold, worldwide. And look! It’s not dead!

Blu-Ray will die within 1 to 2 years, leaving PS3 owners with a badly designed and underperforming (yes, the PS3 is an under performer when compared with what was promised. See this site) console hooked up to their TV. For a better all-around solution, they may look to the XBOX 360.

Unfortunately, however, the HD-DVD support in the 360 is shoddy at best. Which means consumers will look for a stand-alone HD-DVD player, which by that time should be in the US$100-200 range.

What’s all this mean for gamers? Well, don’t get a PS3, for one. Two, don’t get a 360. Use the money you’ve got left over for a game system that’s actually worth it. A system that truly has revolutionized gaming, and led to the first technological paradigm shift of the 21st century. A system that doesn’t use the same controller as it’s predecessor.

Go by a Nintendo Wii.