This being our first show for 2008 we decided to give you our predictions on whet we see happening. We have ten items and they are in no particular order. Please feel free to send us your predictions for 2008.
Happy New Year from the HT Guys!!
1. HD-DVD and Blu-ray will not unify. There's no way to "unify" the formats without totally alienating all the existing owners and without both camps making some huge concessions. Toshiba may be willing to talk, but Sony doesn't do concessions. Ara believes there's too much momentum behind Blu-ray, by the end of the year, although HD-DVD will not have closed up shop, Blu-ray will be the de fact winner. Braden believes that we'll see more of the same in 2008, both sides will continue to slug it out and the war will drag on for one more year.
2. Microsoft will make a huge push into the living room. Assuming everyone already has a Vista computer, they'll subsidize Media Center Extenders, to try to push them into your family room. On top of that, they'll put together a VUDU style movie download offering to seal the deal.
3. Stand-alone Blu-ray player prices fall. Blu-ray players start to enter mass market pricing and sales will pick up dramatically. This will give Sony the confidence they need to not give in to any unification talks. As if the 3 million PS3's weren't enough.
4. VUDU will gain momentum and make big strides in 2008. They will find a new pricing model that makes more sense to the Netflix style user who's already used to the all-you-can-eat model. As they make more money, hardware prices will drop and the boxes will fly out of the warehouse.
5. Portable HD-DVD players hit the market. To combat the surging Blu-ray player sales, Toshiba starts selling other forms of HD-DVD players, like portable units, and in-car units. They'll subsidize them as well, to make sure they sell.
6. Apple will redo the Apple TV as a true media center device. This essentially means the Apple TV will go away and the Mini will be re-branded with some new software. But Steve Jobs won't be content to just say that the Apple TV foray into the living room was a failure and walk away. They'll also increase the quality of movie downloads and make it easy to put them in the living room or on your iPod.
7. Wireless HDMI will come to market. Companies will start to sell wireless HDMI devices, in readily available quantities, by the ends of the year. They will be stand-alone HDMI cable replacements, and net yet built into your typical consumer electronics device, that will come in 2009.
8. LCD HDTV sales will skyrocket. We'll see a huge up-tick in sales of small, inexpensive LCD HDTVs. Due in part to the limited availability of CRT televisions, and all the hype that will be surrounding the analog cut-off in 2009, people will pick up a new 27-32" LCD in droves to make sure they're ready.
9. Reality shows will go high def. The argument against HD will be overshadowed by the pressure to go HD this year. Shows that have never been in HD will have to do so in the fall, just to stay relevant. Some, like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol, are already there; others will join.
10. HDMI-CEC will take hold. As consumers buy HDTVs, and connect them with HDMI cables, they'll start to see the power of the HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) protocol. Manufacturers will finally figure out a way to tell consumers that, even though they have their own special name for it (EZ-Sync, Anynet+, SimpleLink, etc.), the protocol will actually work with other manufacturers devices as well.
The HT Guys love their Starbucks. If you want to say thanks, a cup of joe will do just fine!
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