MS and Intel back HD DVD over Blu-ray
AppleInsider StaffMicrosoft and Intel on Monday threw their support towards the next-generation HD DVD format being promoted by the DVD Forum, pitting themselves against Apple and other electronics manufacturers that have so far sided with Sony's competing Blu-ray format.
Other members of the group include electronics makers NEC, Sanyo and Toshiba, as well as content providers Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures. The company's say the HD DVD format would make it easier for consumers to copy high-definition movies to computer hard drives.
The format of next-generation DVD discs, designed to store movies and other content with much more detail and clarity, have sparked a three-year battle between the DVD Forum and Sony, over what is expected to be a multi-billion-dollar market for next-generation DVD players, PC drives and optical discs, according to Reuters.
In March, Apple teamed with the likes of Samsung and Panasonic in vouching its support for Sony's Blu-ray HD format by joining the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Despite the fact that Intel and Microsoft combine to supply the technology behind at least 9 out of every 10 personal computers, their decision to back the HD DVD format at this time does not end all hope for the Blu-ray format.
Sony's Blu-ray format continues to garner ongoing support in Hollywood, with several studios, including Walt Disney, Sony Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, saying that they will release high-definition movies on Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures are backing HD DVD.
High-definition DVD discs, such Blu-ray discs, will have five times larger capacity than today's DVDs, with a single-layer disc holding up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer disc holding up to 50 gigabytes of data.
The first HD DVD-compatible players and recorders are expected to start appearing on store shelves as early as the end of this year, with new products for both formats scheduled for wider release in 2006.
Malcolm Owen
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Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen
297 Comments
I see this move as Microsoft and Intel's cozying up to the bigwigs at the studios at the expense of their customers. It would be an interesting poll to take, but I bet that 95 % or so of the Wintel user base prefers Blu-Ray over HD-DVD. Had Microsoft and Intel announced for Blu-Ray, HD-DVD would be deader than last week's carp. This serves to stir up the market, but I believe that Blu-Ray will prevail in the end. It is just that Windows OEMs and users will have to rely on third-party solutions.
I really don't think Intel cares one way or another, aside from the possible fact that they don't want to be in the pool with Sony. The ultimate conclusion to this battle will involve component cost of blu-ray vs. hd-dvd hardware. If volumes can get the price down, then that's a big deal.
Unfortunately for HD-DVD, PC's won't adopt HD-DVD for some time, even if it's supported by MS. The PC hardware industry is extremely cost driven, as well as extremely phobic of new peripheral hardware. The winner will be whoever can get the product out first, en masse, with media behind it.
I've heard that only HD-DVD will have backwards-compatibility with DVDs. If that is the case, I sure as hell won't be buying a PC or Mac that comes with a "Blu-Ray" disc drive, especially after all the backup DVDs I've burned.
Even if Blu-Ray does have backwards-compatibility with DVDs, I'd still rather have HD-DVD; HD-DVD sounds like it'll be much cheaper than Blu-Ray and will have a less orwellian DRM system on it.
So really, I'll spring for whichever is cheapest, least restrictive with DRM, and most compatible. Both sound spacious enough to a person with only an 80 Gb hard drive.
I see this move as Microsoft and Intel's cozying up to the bigwigs at the studios at the expense of their customers. It would be an interesting poll to take, but I bet that 95 % or so of the Wintel user base prefers Blu-Ray over HD-DVD.
first, why is this at the expense of their customers? by all accounts blu-ray will cost more and not be backward compatable. this sounds to me like helping their customers.
second, i bet 95% of the user base has no idea what blu-ray is, let alone favor it.
third, i for one will stick with plain ol' dvd as will most consumers (think CD vs DVDaudio/superdisc). CDs win because they are good enough for most people, fairly cheap, play in any player, and can be ripped. same goes for dvds.
Neither HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray are directly backward compatible with current DVD. They both use completely different technology from current DVD.
HD/BD use blue laser which focus a tighter beam. Current DVD/CD use red laser. Future hardware will have to have a blue and a red laser to play HD/BD and backward compatibility with current DVD/CD.
From my understanding MS may be more willing to back HD-DVD because it will make more concessions to MS's proprietary VC-1 codec. While Blu-Ray is more based on MPEG-4, but does include VC-1.
HD-DVD won't be in the upcoming XBox, so who knows when MS will actually ship something with the format.
It is known for sure PS 3 will ship with Blu-Ray.
I'm not sure why Intel is to back HD-DVD. From a computer storage standpoint Blu-Ray is the clear winner.
As far as cost both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD would be far more expensive than current DVD in the beginning. And both will come down in price as they become more of a commodity. At this point no one can say if one would be more expensive for consumers than the other.