As most of you are aware, both the PS3, and the Xbox 360 have a means of providing consumers with HD movie playback. I harped on this issue for a while, ultimately deciding neither was ready for the big leagues. Now the holidays have come and gone, and our friends over at Joystiq have me rethinking things.

They link to a Wall Street Journal article talks about the current state of affairs in the HD format war. Their main focus is on the potential future of universal players(both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) from LG and HP. I do think these catch-all devices could be the solution consumers are looking for, but there was some additional info in the article I found even more interesting.

According to the article, there is a combined total of about 695,000 Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players in the wild. Of those, a mere 25,000 are stand-alone players. The rest are comprised of either the PS3, or the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player.

I have to admit, this number surprised me. As I think more about it though, it really makes sense. The video game system/movie players represent both the low price end of the spectrum, and a value-added product. (I minored in sales.) In short, you pay less and get more. Consumers are savvy enough these days to know a good deal when they see one, and PS3 and Xbox 360 provide a descent stopgap until these dual format players reach the market.

READ via Joystiq