Well, it’s yet another sure sign that HD DVD is dying. NetFlix said it was dropping HD DVDs from its service and going exclusively with Blu-Ray. NetFlix has been carrying both HD formats since 2006 but apparently it had to make a choice.
I’m sure much of the decision is based on cost. Stocking both HD formats must have been getting very expensive for NetFlix. After all, inventory is a big concern for the company. However, what will happen to those poor unfortunate people that already have HD DVD players and are subscribers to NetFlix? Will they have to stick with renting from the local Blockbuster or just buy them at the local department store?
So far, NetFlix doesn’t have that many Blu-Ray movies. Their press release said they currently stock just 400 movies. But as the Blu-Ray momentum grows and the price of players get less expensive, studios will migrate to one format and more movies will go Blu-Ray.
“While only a portion of Netflix subscribers have elected to receive high- def DVDs, a majority of those subscribers have chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD. As part of the transition to Blu-ray, the company said it will acquire no new HD DVDs but that its current HD DVD inventory would continue to rent until the discs’ natural life cycle takes them out of circulation in the coming months.”
I haven’t made the jump to high def DVDs yet. I’m still pretty happy with my HDTV set and HD programming via my cable provider. I’m sure it’ll just be a matter of time before I buy a Blu-Ray drive, hopefully with the PlayStation 3.
