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Has the format war truly ended? There's an interesting story over at the Korea Times about manufacturers being hesitant, even though the format war is over, to adopt Blu-ray as a viable format. With the HD-DVD format falling out of the high-definition disc format battle, Blu-ray is widely expected to eventually replace the DVD platform. However, it seems very unlikely that South Korea will see the quick adoption of the advanced storage devices as the nations two top manufacturers ? Samsung Electronics and LG electronics ? dont have immediate plans to accelerate their Blu-ray businesses. Samsung Electronics said Monday that it doesnt have immediate plans to massively inject fresh capital into its five-year Blu-ray business. ``Since 2005, we have been releasing Blu-ray products but we are not considering sharpening the business for the time being despite its success in the format war, a Samsung spokesperson said, adding that his company is still performing extensive market researches for further strategies. ``With the format war ending earlier than expected, Blu-ray manufacturers are unlikely to increase their investment in parts suppliers due to fears over lower profits, another Samsung official said, citing a smaller market size. Like Betamax in the late 1970s, it was Hollywood that eventually decided the destiny of the HD-DVD because the success of a new format depends mostly on the content that will be available on it. Therefore, when Warner Brothers sided with the Blu-ray system in January, it was only a matter of time for the other format. Some critics say the wider penetration of IPTVs will also hamper the future of the Blu-ray business as IPTVs enable television viewers to watch high-definition programs and use high-speed Internet, while Blu-ray products charge extra for HD-level access. For the full story, click here! Posted at 07:31AM Mar 25, 2008 by Kevin P McAuliffe in Inform | Comments[0] 
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