Microsoft and Intel have gone public with their decision
to join the HD DVD Supporters. Why this sudden change of
stance after months of neutrality in this battle? How have
they become from technology providers for both groups,
sustainers of the HD DVD format?
The format of the next-generation of DVDs has started a
long battle (some three years ago) between Toshiba and Sony,
the key supporters in the HD DVD Promotion Group and Blu-ray
Disc Association.
Leaving aside rivalries between the recent HD DVD
sustainers and some of the members of the Blu-ray Disc
Association, let us see how the technical part influenced
this decision. The two giants have reportedly decided to
back up the variant that is the most performant according to
their criteria, from the point of view of consumer and
industry requirements. And this is what Stephen Balogh,
director of optical media standards and technologies at
Intel declared: "We wanted to choose the format that
has the highest probability of this market taking off".
Let us briefly review the main reference areas for
performance analysis of optical format for high definition
cited by Microsoft and Intel, and which are considered to be
best represented by what HD DVD delivers:
- Managed copy, a first for DVDs - the consumer is
allowed to make copies of discs to a hard drive or home
server.
- Support for hybrid discs - a single disc can store
both high-definition and standard-definition versions of
a film, that can be read in both current DVDs and future
players.
- Low-cost, high-volume manufacturing.
- Superior disc storage capacity.
- Higher interactivity standards - enhanced content,
navigation and value-added functionality for
high-definition films.
Naturally, the ideal situation (for consumers' best
interest) would be unifying the two formats. There were some
brief talks on this between Sony and Toshiba earlier this
year, but no outcome unfortunately.
Though the players for both formats will not be issued
until spring next year, the rivalry between the two groups
of supporting companies sharpens. Now, HD DVD sustainers
have won a battle by getting as allies the world's largest
software maker and the world's largest microchip maker, but
the war is far from being over. Probably, as it normally
should happen, the winners of this "war" will be
designated in the end by the consumer. That is, may the best
disc win!
This article was posted on September 29, 2005
