Manizesto

After a grueling, years-long battle, it’s starting to look like Sony is finally on the brink of victory. The struggle began more than a year ago when Sony and Toshiba both came out with high definition DVD formats. Sony’s version is slightly better quality but also more expensive, while Toshiba touts lower cost but still high def (more history here).  

Early on, the movie industry was split between Blue-Ray and HD-DVD formatted movies, leaving retailers, electronics makers and consumers left somewhere in between.

For many, this competition brought back to mind the format wars from 30 years ago between Sony’s Betamax and JVC’s VHS video formats. If you were alive then :), you’ll remember Sony’s sore defeat (history here), which prompted many to question why Sony would dive into an almost identical battle again.

But it seems they made the right call.

The first decisive blow came to Toshiba when Warner Bros. decided to end their use of HD-DVD formatted movies; a week later Universal Studios let their exclusivity contract expire, leaving them open to carry Blue-Ray. Blue Line and HBO have also committed to stick with Sony.

Now Woolworths (remember them?) has announced they’ll only be stocking Blue-Ray discs in their brick and mortar stores after finding Sony’s format outsold rival Toshiba 10 to 1. 

Lesson to small business owners: Don’t be afraid to push hard and market your products even when you face stiff competition. If your products/services are truly great and you create the right conditions for success, it can pay off for years to come. Welcome competition, look for ways to stand out, and tell the world about it. 

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Photo courtesy of Technabob.

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