Monday, February 18

HD-DVD IS DEAD


The death knell has tolled for HD-DVD. Toshiba has announced it's abandoning the format. Some compared the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray format battle to the 1980s rivalry between VHS and Beta videotape formats where VHS prevailed. However, consider where VHS is today. DEAD as well. While Blu-Ray came out on top (sorry all you folks who got the HD-DVD for Christmas), I say the the Blu-Ray format is just like the 8-track-- it's a dinosaur waiting to die. The format is still wrapped up in the use and ownership of a tangible, clunky, moving object in a digital world where data files are uploaded, download, stored, archived and transferred on multiple platforms.

Who needs to waste shelf space with DVDs when you have PCs, cell phones and other devices that makes information and entertainment data so portable. Now that storage space is sold to consumers in terabytes on portable hard drives, why bother mucking about with some disc that can scratch, melt or get lost behind a desk. I'd much rather download a movie from Amazon to my TiVo (I just wish Amazon had more choices) than wait for a DVD from Netflix, let alone drive to the video rental store. Netflix does offer you movies downloadable to a PC-- but I want my TiVo and PC and TV as it's the closest thing I can afford right now to an intergrated device. Perhaps it's an American consumer thing as we have this need/desire to own tangible things that clutter out drawers, closets, attics and garages. The ironic thing is I have at least four portable hard drives and a couple of flash drives now and I can't seem to keep track of them. OMG- will i have portable hard drives piled up around my office one day like all the videotapes and DVDs I have now?

When will I be able to download my TV shows, movies and music directly to my brain? WHEN???!??