How long do you think Blu-ray will last?

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by ckent

I'm not sure you understand what niche means. Niche means it applies to a focus, targetable market. You've somehow managed to connect the word niche to laserdisc, DVD-A, and SACD. But, you fail to realize that with only 1 in 3 houses having some sort of HD technology and that doesn't mean that they have Blu-ray, then MOST households don't have Blu-ray or HD technology. Blu-ray, although successful, is still not a mass technology. It's a niche format. Just because it has high market pentration doesn't mean it's not niche. And also, what you fail to take into account, is that many people who don't have a Blu-ray player buy Blu-ray, but only because at some point in the future they know they will get a Blu-ray player and go Hi-Def.

At this point, Blu-ray is applied to a focused, targetable market - - the Hi-Def market. Once again, there would be no DVDs or HD converter boxes on store shelves if it wasn't niche.

By the strict definition of niche you are correct, however it's hard to find a product that is NOT a niche using the strict definition. DVD is also a niche.

Niche has subtleties that go beyond the strict definition.