This year has been extremely important for Sony and its Blu-ray disc, since it was officially crowned the "next-gen DVD format" after the utter defeat of Toshiba's HD DVD. After that fateful moment (which, as you might recall, occurred in early spring), things took the path everyone expected them to, the players and discs getting more and more affordable while every studio adopted them for their current and future releases. But then....September and October came, and with them, one of the worst economic periods the world has ever seen (in other words, recession).

For this reason, as Reuters/Hollywood Reporter informs us, in a recent high-level meeting, some executives from Hollywood have expressed their fears regarding the future of the format, both long-term and short-term. And that's because the price of enjoying the Blu-ray experience goes way beyond that of an actual disc (around 25 dollars). Thus, users have to go out and purchase a Full HD LCD or PDP (if they don't have one already, that is), a dedicated Blu-ray player (or PS3), and a home cinema system.

And even if the manufacturers did slash the price for standalone Blu-ray machines, they're still a bit expensive for most consumers, who're more likely contemplating the idea of whether they'll have a job tomorrow or not rather than thinking about a "high-definition, cinematographic experience."

Given these circumstances, it's only normal for major studios to consider other approaches to content distribution, like digital downloads, for example. Thus, it seems that a big, thick line will be drawn after the Christmas shopping season ends and the studios will then decide whether pushing Blu-ray is a very good idea right now or perhaps the Internet, as a delivery system, is the way to go. Either way, the first months of 2009 will be quite interesting, since they'll pretty much be a "make or break" moment for the whole entertainment industry.