The Viability of Blu-Ray?

[ArlanKels]

This is not game related. This is about blu-ray itself and not anything to do with the PS3. Please do not mention that item in this thread. Thank you.


As it currently stands people are primarily using DVDs to play and watch a variety of movies and shows. Some are even using DVD recorders, which are becoming more prevelant, and the DVD reader itself is becoming a cheap and common placed item in most stores. It has easily replaced the VHS, and most likely is far more durable than any VHS system could hope to be...especially since we don't have to worry about the recorder gnawing on the innards of our dvd players like we did with vhs players.

But with Blu-Ray currently existent it is somewhat...odd. Exactly how well is this going to work? Why should we bother with it? Should it even exist?

Given that Blu-Ray players are expensive(Some reputed to be in excess of one thousand dollars) this is obviously not for someone with a few extra dollars in their pocket. To be fair, the fact that it's for high-definition videos, which means you'll need an HD TV in order to use it to it's fullest, also puts a nasty price on it.

The last I knew of only a very small percentage of the population actually have HD TV's.

So what do you guys think? What's the exact future of BluRay? Is it going to get knocked over by HD DVD's, or somehow reign supreme?