BLU-RAY WIN!

[one]

Okay, the BR/HD-DVD super thread was locked yesterday, so here's the thread for the news.

Apparently Sony and Toshiba agreed to adopt Blu-ray 0.1mm cover layer as the base of the new physical format. No URL to news now, but they will come in an hour or so.

 

[Megadrive1988]

what does this mean exactly?

no HD-DVD ?

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD merge?

something else? I have not been keeping up with next-gen DVD news lately due to overwelming amount of other info on other subjects.

 

[Titanio]

Wow? If true?

Would there be more to agree, or is that it?

Where did you hear this?

 

[one]

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD merge?

Yes, basically Blu-ray physical disc + Toshiba software technology.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Does that require a BluRay drive to read then, and lose the cost/simplicity advantages of HD-DVD? Is this basically Toshiba getting onto the BluRay bandwagon to work with Sony's hardware? It's got be said this would be the ideal situation for both companies I'd have thought.

 

[Titanio]

Does that require a BluRay drive to read then, and lose the cost/simplicity advantages of HD-DVD?

I think so.

But at least this would mean no possible delay for PS3...right?

This would be exceptionally exciting news. It's basically the perfect compromise, as far as I'm concerned.

I hope you're right, one.

 

[Carl B]

Awesome. 8)

 

[jvd]

SO if there is no link to the news where did you hear it ? Or is it a rumor that your now spreading here ?

 

[Ty]

Yes, basically Blu-ray physical disc + Toshiba software technology.

What software technology? An honest question as I do not understand what of HD-DVD is considered 'software technology'? Codecs? If so, then then BR already have those? Or were there proprietary ones to HD-DVD?

 

[London Geezer]

Well, the advantage of BDROM was always the hardware side, while the advantage of HDDVD seemed to be the software side (although i think BDROM had already caught up, but i could be wrong)... So i think it's normal that the new format is a best of both...

 

[jvd]

The cost was also on hd-dvd side. The discs themselves would have been cheaper and would have only required a retooling of the current plants . Also the drives themselves may have been cheaper though not sure .

Anyway i would wait for an offical announcment or at least a link to where this got started before we jump for joy

 

[London Geezer]

The cost was also on hd-dvd side. The discs themselves would have been cheaper and would have only required a retooling of the current plants . Also the drives themselves may have been cheaper though not sure .

Anyway i would wait for an offical announcment or at least a link to where this got started before we jump for joy

(IF THIS IS TRUE)
I guess Toshiba is willing to incurr the additional costs, it's not like they're not gonna make their money back...

 

[j^aws]

Hmm...I smell a pre-E3 deal in the air!

 

[jvd]

well yes but it may take longer . Longer than they might have wanted . So as i said lets wait for more than just one posting that it happened with no back up .

 

[Titanio]

Hmm...I smell a pre-E3 deal in the air!

True, it couldn't be more perfectly timed.

It would be utterly amazing if they could announce the guaranteed successor to DVD as PS3's drive format next week.

This almost seems too good to be true, I'm gonna wait on confirmation before celebrating..

 

[Titanio]

Anyone want to translate?

http://ranobe.com/up/updata/up36772.jpg

TOKYO (Nikkei)--In ongoing negotiations between Sony Corp. (SNE) and Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) toward developing a unified standard for next-generation DVDs, the two sides are hammering out a format in which Toshiba's software technology would be coupled with Sony's disc structure, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports in its Tuesday morning edition.

The Blu-ray Disc format proposed by Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (6752.TO) is incompatible with the HD DVD standard supported by Toshiba. The three firms have been in talks to craft a common standard, and a detailed plan could be finalized within the week.

While Toshiba would be forced to make concessions on disc structure, it is considering accepting the arrangement after assessing such factors as production costs. Sony and Toshiba could secure the backing of participating members as early as May 16, when both are scheduled to hold meetings.

The two camps are focusing on the Sony format for the optical disc structure, in which data is recorded 0.1mm from the disc's surface. Toshiba's software, which offers efficient data transfer and copyright protection, would be incorporated into the unified format.

The Sony standard allows for stacked recording layers, paving the way for increased capacity. However, it requires advanced production technology. The Toshiba-format discs, which use the same structure as current DVDs, can be produced at lower cost than their Sony counterparts.

Toshiba had proposed the use of its own recording format, which records data at a depth of 0.6mm, in conjunction with Sony's high-capacity technology. But Sony and Matsushita expressed reservations, saying major Hollywood studios - such as Walt Disney Co. (DIS) - as well as the computer and video game industries were calling for a high-capacity recording medium.

In recent talks, Toshiba has taken a more flexible stance, noting that the Sony disc structure may be inevitable in light of various considerations. The company is seeking proof that the discs based on the Sony format can be mass-produced at low cost.

The chances of the rival camps failing to reach a unified standard are seen as low. But given that Time Warner Inc. (TWX) and parts manufacturers that have prepared software under the Toshiba standard are expected to resist the revised format, the negotiations could take more time.

 

[Lazy8s]

The title should be "HD-DVD WINS!" Sony and the initial Blu-ray collaborators originally left negotiations for a next-generation format at the DVD group, and they're now working with them again after independently funding a lot of R&D that the rest of the group will get to use.

 

[jvd]

Translation

On may 16th if sony can prove that thier disc structure can be mass-produced at a low cost things might happen. But chances of them combining the formats seem low .


But this is far from from them officaly making a deal and I believe even if they do the rest of the dvd board has something to say about it too .

 

[Carl B]

The cost was also on hd-dvd side. The discs themselves would have been cheaper and would have only required a retooling of the current plants . Also the drives themselves may have been cheaper though not sure .

Anyway i would wait for an offical announcment or at least a link to where this got started before we jump for joy

(IF THIS IS TRUE)
I guess Toshiba is willing to incurr the additional costs, it's not like they're not gonna make their money back...

The blu-ray crew, probably mainly Sony, might be willing to lend some help costs-wise to Toshiba in terms of revamping their lines. Afterall, it would seem a very reasonable concession to make considering how much of an advantage to Sony a unified format would be.

 

[Carl B]

Translation

On may 16th if sony can prove that thier disc structure can be mass-produced at a low cost things might happen. But chances of them combining the formats seem low .

No no, it reads, the chances of them NOT combining the formats seems low. As in, the chances of a combined format are high.