Last week, both Microsoft and Intel made a quick switch over to HD DVD, including an unusual reason that Blu-ray's 50GB version was nowhere in sight. On the other hand Microsoft's and Intel's two top partners, Dell and Hewlett-Packet still insist on supporting Blu-ray. Despite this switch, Blu-ray still has more supporters than HD DVD, including the big PC makers HP and Dell and the entertainment companies Universal Music, Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox.
Microsoft has given several reasons to why it prefers HD DVD. As Microsoft is still trying to get into the consumer's living room, one main HD DVD feature they are really interested in is its managed copy feature. This feature allows one to copy their HD DVD movies to their PC's hard drive, such that they can be streamed to compatible equipment throughout the home. Other reasons include simpler HD DVD manufacturing than Blu-ray's BD-ROM (pressed read-only format) and HD DVD's hybrid disc feature which offers a red-laser side for existing DVD players.
Despite Microsoft's reasoning, the Blu-ray side responded saying that their 50GB dual-layer disc will have no trouble launching next spring and that HD DVD's managed copy and hybrid disc features does not put it at any advantage.
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The companies cited several reasons for their decision. They said the 50GB version of Blu-ray was "nowhere in sight," giving the 30GB HD DVD the capacity advantage for the time being. They also said HD DVD guarantees a feature they want, "managed copy," which lets a computer user copy a movie to a computer hard drive so it can be beamed around the house. The iHD software offers "greater interactivity," for example, letting a small screen with a movie director be overlaid onto the main video screen. HD DVD manufacturing is easier than for Blu-ray's BD-ROM, and its "hybrid disk" feature will mean an owner of today's DVD player will be able to buy a dual-format disk that can be played in tomorrow's HD DVD player. What was Blu-ray's response? In short, hogwash. They say the 50GB discs will arrive with no trouble in the spring, that HD DVD has no advantage in the managed copy area, and it has a hybrid disk technology as well. Neither side is winning the debate: "There are so many charges from both sides that it's very difficult to discern reality from propaganda," Crotty said. c|net's full FAQ can be read here. |
It will be interesting to see what happens as the time of each launch approaches. For example, just before the DVD format was standardised, it started off as two competing formats also - Super Disc (SD) which was backed by Toshiba and Warner and Multimedia CD (MMCD) which was backed by Philips and Sony. Both sides agreed to unify with a single disc standard in 1995 - the DVD.
However, so far both the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps have failed their unification attempt. Should both formats go into the consumer market, there is a good chance that multi-standard players will start becoming main stream as what happened with DVD '+' and '-' formats when it came to DVD writers. For example, Samsung is taking no chances by announcing its upcoming launch of a dual standard HD DVD / Blu-ray player.
Feel free to discuss about Blu-ray and HD DVD on our Satellite, HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum. For a comparison of Blu-ray and HD DVD, see this article.
Source: c|net News - Consumer Products
HD-DVD may be smaller when compared to the 50GB Blueray dual layer disc myth, but Intel and MS are right, its not a dream HD-DVD has working 30GB discs right now. So I can see that these two companies are more about sustenance than theory. I'm guessing that HD-DVD will have a dual-layer burnable disc long before Blueray. I'll take 30GB in 2006 over 50GB in 2008. In 2008 I'll need a new burner and then I might make the blueray jump assuming that blueray gets a dual layer disc. [edited by Zeroi786 on 03.10.2005 10:35]
'Interested in is its managed copy feature. This feature allows one to copy their HD DVD movies to their PC's hard drive, such that they can be streamed to compatible equipment throughout the home."
I found this paragraph sort of a main issue. I would take the word Managed as meaning Controlled. I would take the word Compatible as meaning Play with my football or im going to take it home. Why does Microsoft even care? It's not like Hollywood or anybody else is going knock them off their pedestal any time soon. They stand to make billions staying out of it. The world is just not going to run out and buy equipment or software that dictates or controls (sorry I meant Manage) their lifes.
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