Sonys Blu-Ray getting a huge boost by Blockbuster (Engelska)

The battle for supremacy between the two next-generation DVD formats swung sharply in Blu-ray?s favour on Monday when Blockbuster, the leading US video rental chain, increased the number of stores stocking the discs. Blockbuster said it would offer Blu-ray, a Sony-backed format, in 1,700 stores, compared with about 250 for HD-DVD, the rival format backed by Toshiba and Microsoft. Demand for Blu-ray was ?significantly outpacing? rentals of HD-DVDs, it added. The move is a blow for Toshiba, which has said sales of HD-DVDs were falling short of expectations. Sony and Toshiba are in a race to become the standard for next generation high-definition DVDs, in a contest reminiscent of the VHS-Betamax battle in the 1980s.

Blockbuster said it planned to offer both formats through its online rental service, but would stock Blu-ray exclusively at 1,450 of its shops. ?We intend to meet the demands of our customers and based on the trends we?re seeing, we?re expanding our Blu-ray inventory,? said Matthew Smith, senior vice-president of merchandising at Blockbuster. It is losing market share to rival online services, such as Netflix, which do not have stores and instead send DVDs to consumers by post. The group is also facing a growing challenge from download video services. Apple, maker of the iPod, is in talks with Hollywood?s leading studios about joining an online video rental service, which would be run from its iTunes store. I think it will take few more months or even years for these HD formats to get a bigger share on the market - their price is still way too high for common consumers?

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