A softening economy probably won't muffle the DVD boom. Studios are counting on it now that they've gotten over early concerns that pirates would make perfect digital copies from the discs. Rental chains also are starting to promote the migration from tape to disc. That actually means a lot more DVDs. Two of them occupy the same shelf space as one tape.
Independent retailers have an additional incentive to make the switch.
But they pay a lot less for DVDs because studios price them so ordinary consumers will buy them. While the DVD juggernaut seems unstoppable, some analysts say that there are a few developments that could slow it down. Consumers may become confused next year when manufacturers release DVD players that can also record video to the discs. Some consumers may hold out when they hear about the work being done on the next generation of DVD, which can handle high-definition video. It'll be years before these machines are available.