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Java to Appear in Next-Gen DVD players
Ivan P. writes "Sun Microsystems's Java technology will be built into Blu-ray DVD players, executives said on Monday during Sun's JavaOne trade show, a development that advances the technology in the consumer electronics market for which Sun originally developed the software. 'Java will be used for control menus, interactive features, network services and games,' said Yasushi Nishimura, director of Panasonic's Research and Development Company of America. 'This means that all Blu-ray Disc player devices will be shipped equipped with Java.'" Next stop, annoying Flash intros.
thanks for telling me what NOT to buy.
It doesn't matter how good a language it is, if all it is capable of delivering are pig ugly end-user applications.
Note: the majority of people couldn't give a hang about back-end, so called 'enterprise' solutions with Java)
Azureus,
LimeWire,
Neo Office
are all butt-ugly with sluggish, slow and buggy interfaces. The promise of Java on the desktop is long since over. People realized that it just didn't deliver. No surprise then they are desperately trying to find other uses for it like embedding it into DVD Players.
Because Java is slow, takes a lot of processor cycles, and eats memory like there's no tomorrow. This is going to seriously hinder blu-ray adaption. A Java implementation means at least 30% more processor power and memory than otherwise needed. You may luck out and get the memory as a freebie due to powers of 2, but you won't get the processor cheaply. Thats at least $3 a unit. For those of you not in embedded fields, thats a *huge* amount- at 1M units a month its $3M/month, or $36M/yr. Consumer devices usually look to cut pennies- where I work, it requires several layers of management to add 5 cents worth of hardware, because volumes multiply the cost so high. That will put HD-DVD at a higher margin, leaving a lot of manufacturers on the side of HD.
Of course, the other question is: why do we need those annoying animated menus at all? Just give me a clean, normal menu and we have no reason to deal with Java.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
- Toasters
- Microwaves
- Refridgerators
Being funny is my sig nature.
Well, for one thing, there's the issue of freedom.
Then there's the fact that it is slow when compared to most other languages which are used for designing large scale systems (C, C++, etc.).
Then also, it is viewed as a favorite of suits, and therefore by (admittedly somewhat childish) knee-jerk reaction, it is derided by geeks.
SIGSEGV caught, terminating
wait... not that kind of sig.
This describes the new RJ-11/phonejack "standard" that will be hitting the shelves very soon now, and will require a phoneline to play a DVD.
So now when I pop the DVD in it will say "applet started" and then nothing will happen.
Thanks for letting me know which DVD players to avoid.
"Hey, y'know, this app is just too fast. Let's add Java to it. We can be cutting edge and slow as shit all at the same time!"
show me a version of java that isnt a piece of crap and I might admit you have a point.
...DVD player controls YOU!
Errr, wait, that's everywhere, with the unskippable intro crap and menus.
As an aside, I've always found that hard to believe, given that Java's basic types don't include any machine data types such as byte or word.
\In fact, as I recall Java didn't have unsigned bytes at all for the first couple of major releases. Embedded systems my ass.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak