More news on the BR vs HD-DVD front; compatability?

[Carl B]

Well, here's more BR/HD-DVD fuel for the fire. 8)

Actually, it may be a sign that the upcoming 'war' might not be so violent, thankfully.

Sides close to deal on HD disk format

Junko Yoshida
EE Times
(04/15/2005 1:33 PM EDT)

PARIS — Opposing camps in the high-definition disk format battle are close to a compromise on key components of their competing standards based on blue laser technology.

According to sources close to the DVD Forum and the Blu-ray Disc Association, the groups are on the verge of agreeing on a higher-level protocol and interactive layers as well as the physical formats of the incompatible standards.

A compromise would allow Hollywood studios to produce a single title in one HD format and compile it later for either platform. Such a move also means consumer electronics manufacturers would have to spend less time developing dual-format software and hardware for new HD DVD players.

Sony Corp. is promoting its Blu-ray format with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Pioneer and others. Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. are the key proponents of HD DVD format.

Asked at a Sony press event this week why Blu-ray disk players are not ready, senior manager Tomihiro Nakagawa said the "physical format is already determined, but the interactive layer for Blu-ray ROM is not done." Nakagawa said the group is planning to include an interactive layer that would, for example, allow the downloading of subtitles in different languages.

The Blu-ray group is apparently pushing for use of the Java-based Multimedia Home Platform — an API now used in European interactive digital TV set tops as well as U.S. cable set tops — in its new players. By contrast, the DVD Forum is reportedly promoting a derivative of the Microsoft-developed MSTV, which among other languages uses HTML, ECMAScript and the W3C markup language, but not Java.

The HD DVD debate is a replay of an earlier clash over an an API for an interactive digital TV set-top spec — where one side promoted Sun Microsystems' Java language while the other backed Microsoft's MSTV.

Discussions are far from over, but industry sources said Blu-ray group members have been attending marathon meetings this week at the studios of Blu-ray backer Disney. The DVD Forum is also expected to meet soon at the offices of member Time Warner Inc.

Sony's Nakagawa said the debate over software for the Blu-ray disk player is "in the home stretch."

Hollywood remains split over the competing standards. Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. are siding with the DVD Forum while Walt Disney Co., Sony Pictures and MGM support the Blu-ray spec.

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[Pozer]

Considering Sony's history with failed formats (BetaMax, MD) I hope they get this ironed out. Sony has a habit of pushing dead formats for years before putting them out to pasture. A 60/40 or even a 70/30 split would turn off too many consumers who will just wait it out.

I still think MS was just playing hardball and waiting for sweetheart deal from the HD-DVD consortium. Maybe hoping to get drives at cost just so the HD-DVD people would get early market penetration (eww thats dirty).

I personally don't see HD/BR discs having the same legs as DVD did. (especially HD-DVD) 9 gigs in 1998 looked alot better than 40 gigs will in 2006. They both necessitate 80% of households owning HDTV which won't happen till 2008 (my guess). DVD took off so quick cause 1.Players were dirt cheap very quickly. 2. Most TV's in houses were already capable of displaying more than the 200 lines of resolution VHS offered. 3. Tape stretches and degrades. 4 DVD offered videophiles Widescreen and Ma n' Pa the pan and scan version (till they got greedy).

 

[wco81]

Actually, I heard they may try to have compatible interactive layers, so that you can overlay movies with all kinds of ancillary features not directly related to viewing the movies.

However, they would not merge the physical layers because they're too different.

The studios want to offer all kinds of interactive features. Whether the CE companies will agree to compromise on the physical layer remains to be seen.