Blu-ray

Just last week, we reported about the somewhat dismal adoption of Blu-ray among consumers. We said it seemed that $300 was the magic number that would entice more folks to whip out the credit card and go Blu. Seems like Wal-Mart was taking notes.

It's a little bit ironic, don't you think? After all the dust in the consumer electronics war between HD DVD and Blu-ray settled, it appears that not many people really cared at all. In a survey by Harris Interactive, only 9% of people who don't own Blu-ray already have any plans to buy a player in the next year, although a majority knew the format debate was over.

Take a peek at what news was waiting in my mailbox this morning. Criterion Collection is finally entering the Blu-ray market. While initially waiting it out on the sidelines until the pendulum finally swung away from HD DVD, the company known for releasing art house movies is turning to Blu-ray for their 1080p releases.

Not long ago, the Big News was Blu-ray versus HD DVD. Now, it's all about the avalanche of new Blu-ray players. Everyone loves a winner. Pioneer has jumped into the fray with not one, but two new BD players: the BDP-05FD and the BDP-51FD.

The consumer electronics industry breathed a collective sigh of relief when the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray was won by Blu-ray. Another surrender ceremony was recently completed as Paramount announced that they are abandoning the HD DVD format once and for all. In fact, almost everyone is jumping ship. Best Buy has cleared out HD DVD discs to make more room for standard DVD and Blu-ray.