Blu-ray, HD DVD no shows at pro A/V event

Anaheim (CA) - Though Sony and Toshiba were both at InfoComm, the country’s biggest trade show for professional audio/video equipment, neither of them had their hi-def players on the front lines.

Sony was at InfoComm almost exclusively to show off its line of new professional-grade projectors. The PlayStation 3, Sony’s top-selling Blu-ray Disc player, was on hand to demo the projectors, but Sony had no signage or players actually on display.

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The same was the case for Toshiba, which is the front in the list of companies backing the HD DVD format. The HD DVD logo was nowhere to be found in Toshiba’s fairly large booth.

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This is a sign that the two formats are being pushed exclusively as mass market, everyday consumer products.

A Sony rep told us that Blu-ray wasn’t on display because it would essentially have taken the main focus off of its projectors. Toshiba, on the other hand, was more blunt. A representative at that company’s booth told us that HD DVD was a consumer product and not intended for professional use.

However, Panasonic had Blu-ray Disc computer drives and burners on display. It just seems odd for there not to have even been a clear mention of these hi-def audio/video formats from their company headliners at such an event.