Dave Horvath
27 Nov 2006 7:30
For those unfamiliar with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), they are an association of over 2,000 companies who's general mission is to ensure the interoperability of new and existing electronic devices on the market. They attempt to make standards by which manufacturers develop products to ensure that consumers are not tackled with thousands of radically different products on the market with no roadmap on what to get. Betamax vs. VHS, CD-Rom, DVD, and even the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray battle that is currently being waged, the CEA has their hand in it.
In a recent press release from the CEA, they have decided to cut their projections of next generation media players from 600,000 units to a mere 200,000 units and are urging consumers not to partake in either format until the war has decided a clear cut winner. Even companies that make up the CEA are stating that history has shown that early adopters can be burned if they choose one format and the industry decides on another format. Consumers could find themselves with very expensive devices but little to no media in which to enjoy it.
Although, it seems a bit of common sense to wait on adopting a new format anyway. The more time that goes by, one format is sure to reign supreme over the other and time will also inevitably bring hardware costs down, making it easier on the consumer to purchase next generation equipment. Additionally, with the rise in things such as video-on-demand, IPTV and such, both of these formats will have other non-intended power players to contend with.
Source:
HDTV UK