The format war has been raging for a long time now and numerous blows have been dealt from both the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps. But who will be the winner? Well, according to Asif Anwar, the "real" winners are manufacturers of Gallium Nitride Laser Diodes.Anwar is an analyst for Strategy Analytics. According to a prediction he made at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, no matter which format emerges as the victor, demand for GaN laser diodes will benefit.That's because GaN laser diodes are essential components in high definition optical data storage for both formats. According to Anwar:The home theatre and the PC markets will propel demand for the GaN-based LDs once the gaming console market matures. Suppliers of GaN laser diodes will be winners no matter which format wins.While both formats are currently more popular with the current consoles (that is, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360), the winning format will go on to be the standard format in disc storage for PCs and home theater.

Once it does completely spread to PCs and Home theaters, demand for GaN laser diodes will rise even more. It's kind of like in a real war where the arms manufacturers will be the ones to benefit no matter who wins.

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