9. Budućnost

8.1 Koji format će pobijediti?

That’s impossible to tell at the moment. What is quite likely is that all the formats mentioned in this FAQ will fail, and this will be because of greed (licensing/royalty) and utter lack of understanding of the consumer base (copy protection, user needs). Or both formats will have some qualified success, in that both will survive and we’ll just have to live with both formats.

I hope that one format does win the day or that the two camps settle down and come up with a single specification, and hopefully with the support of everyone involved, much like the current DVD format. But I fear I might be hoping for too much.

Update (February 2008): It looks like my wish has come true, and that one format has won the day. Blu-ray is now the winner of the HD format war.

8.2 Za koji format da se danas ili uskoro odllučim?

Obviously after Blu-ray’s victory, your choices are now pretty limited. It’s either Blu-ray or Blu-ray or Blu-ray. Those with HD DVD discs already might still want to continue buying dual format players, but for new users, there is no longer the need to make any choice.

For more information related to buying, please refer to our Blu-ray (and HD DVD) Buyer’s Guide.

8.3 Kako mogu osigurati da postoji samo jedan format?

If you are reading this, and you are the President of Sony or Toshiba, then there is a lot you can do to ensure there is only one format. But in the end, the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps will do whatever they think they have to do to ensure maximum profits. If I have to put money on it, I would say the chances of one format have come and gone and that we are stuck with two formats, even if one format might have a larger share of the market.

Update (Febuary 2008): Well, whatever you did to ensuer only one format survives, it looks to have worked! Blu-ray is now the only remaining HD format (in the West, at least). My slightly pessimistic prediction of two formats seems to have been wrong, with Toshiba doing the right thing and ending the format war in quick fashion.