The Consumer Electronic Association expects some 600,000 HD-DVD and Blu-ray players and optical drives to be sold in the US alone this year.

Following the successful launch of Toshiba's HD-DVD players, units are predicted to continue selling quickly to early adopters, despite the ongoing standards battle between the two rival technologies.

But, according to Sean Wargo, director of industry analysis at the CEA, the ace up the sleeve of Blu-ray is Sony's Playstation 3 (PS3), which is now expected to hit the streets in November.

'The amount of PS3s that ship will outpace any other next-generation DVD player,' he told PCW.

He believes Sony's console will sell around two million units in its first six months after release, leaving HD-DVD playing catch up.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is backing HD-DVD, and the company plans to launch a peripheral for its console, which is expected to cost around $250. 

It has kept its high-definition plans close to its chest; when contacted, a Microsoft spokesperson would only say: ‘We will make an HD-DVD drive accessory available to consumers this year.’

It also means that even if Blu-ray loses the standards war with HD-DVD and is not adopted as the next-generation player of choice, it will survive as a games console drive in the Playstation.

Optical drives for PCs are expected from this summer, with some manufacturers saying they will give consumers the option of either technology for their computers.

Wargo expects PC drives to play a major role in the eventual outcome of de ciding the stronger technology. 'More and more of our media consumption is happening through the computer,' he said.

While neither technology yet dominates, what is clear, said Wargo, is that both content providers and consumers alike want to see one technology. But with no signs of a merging of the standards, that's unlikely to happen.

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