A belated happy new year, although it is not that happy for some. HD-DVD has had the unhappy pullout of a major supporter of their format, and the luke warm denials of a second. This has been generally reported as a bad thing across the world, and suggested by some to be the first signs of a victory for Blu-ray.
On the other side, we have had the cancellation of the big party of the week for the content industry – the Golden Globes. The cancellation has come about because of the little problem of a strike by the real source of the content – the writers, they who initiate the entertainment to be enthused with warmth by the actors and the supporting cast of technicians. The strike is over residuals for the online distribution of content.
Both I believe are linked with a common thread. They hide the real story, the fact that the new war ground for content in the future, is not the physical medium but the new distribution method that bypasses the little piece of plastic and the hegemony of the movie and TV companies. This is a long drawn out war however, that will take many years and requires the concentrated organisation of resources. These resources come from the Consumer Electronics industry, those that can see beyond the plastic to the bits that actually are what people want. Blu-ray may win their battle and Hollywood may win theirs, but will it be at the expense of the war?
