The format war is in part a publicity battle and news outlets need to be careful that the competing companies don’t draw them into the struggle. That is cause to vet sources especially carefully. It’s also a reason not to declare the end until the end. Warner’s switch may very well signal the victory of Blu-ray. But HD DVD isn’t quite dead yet and even if it does disappear, Blu-ray’s win still may only be a temporary victory.

A few pieces stand out by giving us this context.

On January 7, The Wall Street Journal gave us “In Blu-ray Coup, Sony Has Opening But Hurdles, Too.” (link for non-subscribers). The last sentence of the first graph tells us that Sony’s “victory comes at a high cost and may be fleeting.” Why? The reporters tell us that:

Sony’s push for Blu-ray—which analysts estimate as an investment of hundreds of millions of dollarsm—has cost the company in areas such as the key videogame market…

Even with major studios on board, Sony must still win over consumers to Blu-ray. Consumers were arguably better off with HD DVD technology, which generally cost less to produce…

And as Danny King says in TelevisionWeek, it may be that neither Blu-ray nor HD DVD wins.

Downloadable movies, which don’t require an expensive player and DVDs, may render physical discs obsolete before Sony can finish its victory lap.

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