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Blu-Ray Attacks Microsoft, Microsoft Bites Back

Posted by Zonk on from the mind-the-teeth dept.

QT writes "Ars Technica has been following this week's next-gen DVD dramas closely. First, there's extensive coverage of the reasons why Microsoft backed HD-DVD, which was primarily inspired by mandatory support for copying discs to computers. The BDA, however, countered with an attack on Microsoft's reasons, and Microsoft returned fire. Richard E. Doherty, Microsoft's head of the media entertainment technology convergence group, said that 50GB Blu-ray disc are in fact many years away. Is MS playing games, or is Sony misrepresenting just how far along BD-ROM really is?" From the article: "HD DVD is proven to deliver 30GB capacity today, with the potential to deliver even greater capacity. The 50GB claim for BD-ROM discs is unproven and will not be available for many years to come, based on discussions with major Japanese and US replicators. Replicators not only do not have test lines running, they cannot even pre-order the equipment to begin evaluating this disc. They cannot judge the cost of these discs, or even whether they can be manufactured at all. Major replicators can mass manufacture 30GB HD DVD discs today and it's well understood that these discs will cost significantly less to manufacture than the lower-capacity 25GB BD discs." We previously discussed this topic when the announcement came out.

9 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. HD DVD sounds better to me by Delphiki · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I started out thinking Blu Ray would be the way to go but after reading some of the articles on Ars about it recently, I'm thinking HD DVD would be better. If the movie industry started making all new DVD releases as hybrid discs, there could be a very easy transition, and it could happen soon, from the sounds of things. Of course, things might not be as easy as they sound. Honestly, I don't care about the extra space. I use an external HD for backups, not my DVD burner. And I don't care how many discs my movies/tv shows come on. So I have to change it once an hour, I need to get up once in a while anyway.

    --

    Feel free to mod me "-1 - Angry Jerk".

  2. Let's just ask Hugh Hefner by LexNaturalis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's the porn industry that's going to decide, remember? Who cares what the industry people think...

    Sorry, but I just wanted to pre-empt those that are inevitably going to claim that. At any rate, if the article (re: Microsoft) is true, then Blu-Ray probably won't succeed because HD-DVD is already here. I'm still pulling for Blu-Ray, for a variety of reasons, but realistically I realize that most consumers are going to see "HD-DVD" and think "Ooooh... a DVD that will play HD" (fallacy notwithstanding) whereas people will see Blu-Ray and think "What the... what's this crap?"

    Alas, at this point it's still all speculation. Perfect for /. so I thought I'd share my own.

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    Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
  3. It's painfully obvious... by advocate_one · · Score: 5, Insightful

    that a bird in the hand (ie. the standard that's available right now) is worth far more than two in the bush (ie the one that's only promised and is at least two years off)... I mean, which manufacturer is going to hold off on the promise of 50GB, when he can have 30GB right now??? only an idiot who's going to miss the boat and look very, very stupid.

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
    1. Re:It's painfully obvious... by hattig · · Score: 5, Informative

      Microsoft went with HD-DVD because Bluray uses BD-J (i.e., Java) for interactive, programmable, etc, content.

      BluRay drives have been around for a long time. They exist now.

      What isn't finalised is the DRM and various things relating to that. It won't take too long to get these things finalised.

      The 2 years to 50GB stuff is pure FUD as far as we, the consumers, are concerned. Have either of us held a HD-DVD or a BD-ROM in out hands? No. They're both up in the air. We should just sit back and wait for one or the other to release something. It isn't as if BluRay single-layer (23, 25 or 27GB) is that much lower than HD-DVD dual layer (30GB) anyway.

      I know one BluRay manufacturer said they'd be making 50GB stuff this December.

      Let's just wait and see what happens!

  4. Seems pretty reasonable by SysKoll · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Looks like a set of very down-to-Earth, well argumented reasons. Maybe, for once, this will be a decision that is not grounded in anti-competitive behavior?

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    Mad science! Robots! Underwear! Cute girls! Full comic online! http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/

  5. The only criteria.. by JustNiz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is how much DRM each technology uses.

    Blu-ray lost my vote when they decided to build in functionality to allow the movie industry to actually disable your player if they chose. To restore your disabled player you would have to send it in for 'repair'.

  6. Playstation 3... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Interesting


    So 50GB is miles off, of course it is because we all know that HD-DVD is so real and there are so many devices whereas Blu-ray will only be shipping in potentially the biggest selling console of 2006.

    Microsoft do XBox 360, Sony do PS3, XBox 360 hasn't gone for either HD-DVD or Blu-ray. If HD-DVD was so real why didn't they pick it for XBox 360?

    Its amazing how this talk of reality of Blu-ray (which I've actually seen demo'ed) over HD-DVD tends to ignore the fact that only one company (Sony) is producing a mass market player in 2006.

    If PS3 wins, then Blu-ray will have significant volume in 2006 which will drive down costs and mean larger capacity disks arrive much earlier.

    "Grand Theft Auto - Whole of the damned Continenal United States" anyone?

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  7. Oh, the irony by mvdwege · · Score: 5, Funny

    In effect, Microsoft is accusing the BDA of promoting vapourware.

    The irony is delicious.

    Mart
    --
    "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
  8. Know one of the real reasons? by DdJ · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Blu-Ray spec requires a fully functional Java interpreter to be embedded in every media player. You know the scripting language that DVDs use to control menus and stuff like that? On a Blu-Ray system, this is a full Java implementation with access to a TCP stack and everything.

    (I saw some sessions about this at JavaOne this year.)

    How could Microsoft get behind something like that?