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Microsoft, Intel back HD DVD over Blu-ray
raitchison writes "Reuters is reporting that after months of sitting on the fence in the battle over what will replace the venerable DVD that Microsoft and Intel have thrown their weight behind Toshiba's
HD DVD over the Sony's Blu-ray.
Better compatibility with existing DVD technology as well as lower cost were cited as reasons to back HD DVD.
While this is undoubtedly a significant blow for Sony in their efforts to establish Blu-ray as the next standard it's not likely to be the end of Blu-ray."
I was Mr. Sony in the 90s (mini dis , vaio, etc) because I loved their technology. Now, slashdot:Microsoft::dada21:Sony.
Sony has to learn that single party closed standards won't exist for long. We won't see an open standard, but at least a consortium of different markets offers multiple profit-oriented groups some debate.
When members of a consortium debate one another, the debate is "how can I make more money?" But to make money they need not just a cost benefit, but a happy customer in the long run.
Sony alone only sees one customer base, never a good sample of need. Toshiba has two other hard hitters now, offering a larger and more varied customer base to figure out.
One scary thing: software + processor + media format giants can make the worst DRM imaginable. What if Sony pandered to Linux or OS X or just the PS3 market? Plus Sony has clout with the media distributers, whereas MS and Intel bite them in the ass because most "pirates" use MS and Intel products.
From TFA: They said the HD DVD format would make it easier for consumers to copy high-definition movies to computer hard drives. Suuuure.
TFA mentions commitments from media houses, but until I see it, I'm not believing it. If we'll have two formats, my parents will be the deciding factor, not me.
The lowest cost and most compatible format would be to stay with existing DVD technology!
If you are creating a new technology that will require new hardware and new investments in manufacturing, why make it an incremental step? There are so many players in this format war I can't keep up, but I know that Blu-Ray is supposed to be higher capacity and will prevent HD movies from requiring a media change (no one liked that with Laser Disc flipping half way through a movie).
I say if the industry is going to expect the public to pay for a format change, we get a complete change, not some semi-compatible almost change that will require yet another change for additional capacity far sooner than the alternative that exists today.
Plus, I read that HD DVD is hitting timing issues that mean it won't be out until Blu-Ray anyway.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Which will just make the PS3 all that much better
The XBox360 has a normal DVD player in it (not an HD-DVD, or a Blu-ray).
What Microsoft may be doing is some pre-launch neutralization of Sony's Blu-ray advantage with their PS3 - e.g. if no one is going to go to Blu-ray, then who cares if the PS3 has it? It'll become an irrelevant difference, and it will help overcome that potential hang-up users (and reviewers) might have when comparing the two consoles. I wish this wasn't the case, but I can entirely see Microsoft making this "choice" based upon such a short term gain.
Sony will support Blue Ray by shipping it with their PS3. Meanwhile, Microsoft is supporting HD DVD by _not_ including it in their XBox 360. Hmmm... I wonder what kind of support Intel is going to offer for HD DVD... Pentium 5: now with HD DVD support! Nevermind, I still put my money on Blue Ray.
Bah! The whole "lesson" you should have learned behind VHS vs. Betamax wasn't about waiting for anything. It's that the better technologies don't always win out. Betamax had better audio and video fidelity, and by almost all accounts was the better technology. Why then do you have all your favorite episodes of the Simpsons taped on a VHS?
It's because your parents were horny. Everyone who wanted to put a movie on a Betamax tape had to go through Sony, and Sony didn't want their big corporate name associated with porn. Sony chose not to allow porn, a multibillion dollar industry even before the internet, on the Betamax. People who couldn't resist the allure of VHS porn made the choice and lo and behold VHS came out on top... please forgive the pun.
Concrete proof that Sex Sells. The first format to sign deals with Vivid, not Intel or Microsoft is going to determine who will win in the end.
Just for comparision, here is a list of SOME of the main members HD DVD promotion group:
Canon Co.
Fuji Photo Film Co.
Hitachi Maxell Ltd.
Imation Co.
Intel Co.
InterVideo Inc.
Kenwood Co.
Konica Minolta Opto Inc.
Microsoft Co.
Mitsubishi / Verbatim
NEC Electronics Co.
ONKYO Co.
Paramount Home Entertainment
Ricoh Co.
Ritek Co.
Teac Co.
Toshiba Co.
Universal Pictures
Warner Home Video Inc.
(yeah, some companies are in both sides and yeah, many of the DVD media producers are in this list).
:P
It looks like Mitsubishi and Hitachi swing both ways.
But the big difference between the two lists is that the BluRay consortum is full of companies which can actually push a standard throught he marketplace. The second list is full of followers, not innovators.
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