The PS3 was a leading factor in the win over HD-DVD and was a big help to the Blu-ray format over all. It has been the most versatile player thus far and has many extra features to boot. For the longest time, it was also the cheapest option to get into Blu-ray for many movie fans.
The PS3 did carry Blu-ray for a while, but it is only because of how good the PS3 is as an overall entertainment system. It is no fault to the quality of Blu-ray but more so of the price of going HD. If you do not have a HDTV, why would you feel the need to go out and buy HD movies or an HD movie player? Also with new release DVDs retailing at least $10 less then the Blu-ray version, it is an expense most people do not want to give in to.
As we move further into the HD era of entertainment, we will continue to see the rise of the Blu-ray format. When more players come out that support profile 2.0 and cost less then a PS3, you will again see a boom in sales for players and movies. I think the format will struggle in the mass market until we see movies drop $5-10 and players in the sub $200 range. It was the same for DVD and will be the same for the next format.
I can say for myself that I would most likely not be part of Blu-ray if it was not for the PS3. That does not mean that I would have gone for HD-DVD either. I am happy with Blu-ray and almost exclusively support the format almost never buying DVDs. I will probably not buy a standalone BD player but that is not saying much. I never brought a standalone DVD player. All my DVD players were apart of another piece of equipment I purchased.
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