oddball
22nd January 2004, 00:42
Here is a weird one. I can see HD-DVD possibly taking off in the USA but mainly for recording HDTV shows with sales of retail HD-DVD's trailing along behind it.
However here is a problem for places like the UK. The UK has no HDTV and no proposed HDTV for the near future. When digital TV was introduced to the UK it was pushed through on the basis of more channels and interactivity. It was initially proposed that it would be HDTV but that was pushed aside (Purely for financial reasons methinks (They could sell more airtime to broadcasters) and the fact that buying a cheap box as opposed to buying a new TV was more appealing to consumers.
Terrestrial Digital TV had a rough ride getting here. One of the initial ventures fell through to be replaced by another that also fell through and now we have a non-subscription system for the basic channel packages whereby you buy a Freeview box (Or TV with integrated Freeview decoder) or you pay to subscribe to either cable or digital satellite (SkyBSB).
There was also a push for widescreen TV's (Standard res since it was again cheaper). These are now widespread.
At the same time DVD's were gaining market force.
Now DVD is the main video format, stand alone DVD recorders are becoming more affordable and DVD players (Especially at non-brandname types) are falling through the floor pricewise. You can now get a multi-region DVD player that plays nearly everything you throw at it (Except MPEG4 variants but they are coming) from your local supermarket for as little as £30-40.
The brand names have also had to drop their prices in response. They are not able to profit as much as they used to (Or would like to) methinks.
This leaves a conundrum. The electrical manufacturers and therefore retailers rely on selling the latest technology to consumers. When HD-DVD is being pushed in the USA where does it leave electronics companies in the UK? How do they push through HD-DVD in the UK?
I have the distinct feeling that UK consumers would be unwilling to buy another new TV in order to watch HD-DVD's. Likewise players will not sell. With no HDTV as an incentive as per the USA I can see consumers snubbing the format dead.
The UK wants to switch off analog broadcasting in the future. But with no HDTV digital broadcasting proposed (and even if there were I think people would balk at it being introduced relatively too early for the UK after going the route it recently has) that would push HDTV, HD-DVD recorders and HD-DVD's in general there appears nowhere for that market to go.
The USA has had cable/satellite for a LOT longer than the UK. Widescreen TV's are only now being pushed in the USA but with the added feature of high definition reception. The technology has moved on and is now becoming more affordable. In the UK we jumped ahead of the USA on digital broadcasting and widescreen TV's but did not add HDTV.
What course do you think the UK will take from here?
However here is a problem for places like the UK. The UK has no HDTV and no proposed HDTV for the near future. When digital TV was introduced to the UK it was pushed through on the basis of more channels and interactivity. It was initially proposed that it would be HDTV but that was pushed aside (Purely for financial reasons methinks (They could sell more airtime to broadcasters) and the fact that buying a cheap box as opposed to buying a new TV was more appealing to consumers.
Terrestrial Digital TV had a rough ride getting here. One of the initial ventures fell through to be replaced by another that also fell through and now we have a non-subscription system for the basic channel packages whereby you buy a Freeview box (Or TV with integrated Freeview decoder) or you pay to subscribe to either cable or digital satellite (SkyBSB).
There was also a push for widescreen TV's (Standard res since it was again cheaper). These are now widespread.
At the same time DVD's were gaining market force.
Now DVD is the main video format, stand alone DVD recorders are becoming more affordable and DVD players (Especially at non-brandname types) are falling through the floor pricewise. You can now get a multi-region DVD player that plays nearly everything you throw at it (Except MPEG4 variants but they are coming) from your local supermarket for as little as £30-40.
The brand names have also had to drop their prices in response. They are not able to profit as much as they used to (Or would like to) methinks.
This leaves a conundrum. The electrical manufacturers and therefore retailers rely on selling the latest technology to consumers. When HD-DVD is being pushed in the USA where does it leave electronics companies in the UK? How do they push through HD-DVD in the UK?
I have the distinct feeling that UK consumers would be unwilling to buy another new TV in order to watch HD-DVD's. Likewise players will not sell. With no HDTV as an incentive as per the USA I can see consumers snubbing the format dead.
The UK wants to switch off analog broadcasting in the future. But with no HDTV digital broadcasting proposed (and even if there were I think people would balk at it being introduced relatively too early for the UK after going the route it recently has) that would push HDTV, HD-DVD recorders and HD-DVD's in general there appears nowhere for that market to go.
The USA has had cable/satellite for a LOT longer than the UK. Widescreen TV's are only now being pushed in the USA but with the added feature of high definition reception. The technology has moved on and is now becoming more affordable. In the UK we jumped ahead of the USA on digital broadcasting and widescreen TV's but did not add HDTV.
What course do you think the UK will take from here?