Analysis

posted on 02 July 2008 13:50

Sony is hedging its bet with Blu-ray as the high-definition (HD) movie distribution to consumers medium. It has added an ability for movies to be downloaded direct to its PlayStation 3 games consoles with a PS3 firmware update.

Sony has also announced a Bravia Internet device to enable the same function for its Bravia HD TVs.

HD movies use a 1080p resulution but DVD-class or better-than-DVD class viewing can be appreciated with lower 720p streaming media resolution which is what the PS3 and Bravia TV can now enjoy.

Blu-ray use outside the PS3 arena is scarce and often tied to quite expensive home theatre systems which are just not affordable by the mass market. With DVD players now cheap as chips and pervasive, plus the blow to consumer confidence with sub-prime mortgage-inspired credit difficulties the Blu-ray ramp is reckoned to be quite slow with DVDs outselling Blue-ray for some time yet.

Microsoft is publicly resistant to the idea of adding a Blu-ray drive to its Xbox 360 and not many notebook computers come with Blu-ray drives. Against this background of a slow Blu-ray take-off it could look a good idea for Sony to get involved in the streaming media distribution business as a delivery mechanism for Sony Entertainment and other producer's material to its PlayStations and TVs.

^{[Chris Mellor.]}