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Blue-Laser DVD Formats Wars
killmore notes a story running on ZDNet talking about incompatible blue laser formats of Blue-Laser DVDs which can store 36GB of data. The new format is from Toshiba & NEC and boasts backwards compatibility with the current standards for DVDs.
Just what the DVD medium needs, more freaking standards. Heck, last time I went into my local WorstBuy to pick up a pack of DVD-RW media (only wanted a couple) all they had was rows and rows of DVW+R discs and tons of empty shelf space for the DVD-R stuff. Does this mean we're going to have to start choosing between multiple Blue standards as well? Is anybody else tired of having multiple (completely identical feature wise) discs to choose from? Is this not lunacy?
I read the internet for the articles.
Toshiba wanted dual layer and Sony (I think) wanted to standardize on flippers. Thank goodness they comprimized and kept both.
> backwards compatibility with the current standards for DVDs.
What standards? I've been waiting and waiting for the "current standards" to shake out, and they still haven't. Maybe I'll be able to get a DVD burner in another 2-3 years, when they finally do have a standard!
True science means that when you re-evaluate the evidence, you re-evaluate your faith.
Because if you don't, people won't buy your hardware. IBM vs. Apple, Clones vs. IBM PS/2, PlayStation 2 vs. Dreamcast, US Robotics vs. Hayes, SVHS vs. 8mm, etc.
There is an interesting commentary on this over at the Digital Bits. It looks like some companies don't want backwards compatibilty with today's DVD, and they want to lock down the market and prevent cheap Chinese players from entering the HD-DVD arena.
If they do that, I think that you will see HD-DVD relegated to a LaserDisc sized niche market. Only true videophiles will spend hundereds of dollars to upgrade hardware, and hundreds more to replace their DVD collection with HD discs. The rest of the population will be perfectly happy with Anamorphic Widescreen DVD on a HD set.
I'll assume you're asking an honest question (here? at slashdot? HAHAHAHA!) and give you an honest answer.
Backwards compatibility is implemented in order to not destroy the installed base of products. What good is a new DVD player that can't play existing DVDs? How many people are going to buy ANOTHER DVD player just to leave the old one in place because the new one won't play the 400 movies they already have? People already grous about having to keep a DVD player and a VCR!
As for file formats, who cares if no one else is going to use your files? If you ever want to share them with someone else then you will need to either support an existing format or distribute the needed code to use your files with them.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
seems to have died out? have you considered how many cds would need to be replaced vs. not replaced in a situation where they were all protected vs. not? It's economics.. they changed their product into something you'll replace several times over if you're an average joe. They DID initially promote CDs as indestructable. *AHEM* we all know that is very very much bs.
** "It's not my job to stand between the people talking to me, and the ones listening to me." -- Pego the Jerk
I love it how the media automatically assumes DVD stands for Digital Video Disc.
That's probably true assuming the same format. But if they wanted, it would be smart to take advantage of that huge capacity by increasing the error-checking redundancy. That way you could take a belt sander to the damned thing and still maybe read it. Well, maybe not quite...but you get the idea.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
We needed this technology yesterday!
Well, it would be "versatile" if the DVD Consortium would let you actually do something with the damned things.