Market Parameters, Marketing Hype, and Technical Standards: The Introduction of DVD

Abstract

The potential for digital video (or versatile) disc (DVD) as computer peripheral, upscale replacement for CD-audio, and potential successor to the VCR seems bright in the "age of convergence." This article examines the DVD's role in the home video marketplace and how 3 prerelease factors—initial marketing hype, technical standards, and market parameters—may have influenced the release and early diffusion of this technology. It is suggested that early sales forecasts may be greatly overestimated for the product's first 3 years of existence.