Well, that about wraps it up for blu-ray.

[TEXAN]

Microsoft, Intel to back HD-DVD

Microsoft, Intel to back HD-DVD

By MarketWatch
Last Update: 3:02 AM ET Sept. 27, 2005
E-mail it | Print | Alert | Reprint |

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Personal-computer giants Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. announced Tuesday they will back the HD-DVD next-generation storage format.

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The move by Microsoft (MSFT: news, chart, profile) and Intel (INTC: news, chart, profile) to back the format backed by Toshiba Corp. (TOSBF: news, chart, profile) could crimp the momentum of the rival Blu-ray format backed by Sony Corp. (SNE: news, chart, profile) , Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL: news, chart, profile) , Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ: news, chart, profile) and Dell Inc. (DELL: news, chart, profile) .

The companies said the HD DVD allows copies to be made to a hard drive or home server, movies to be played in current DVD players, low-cost manufacturing, superior capacity and more interactivity.

The move is the latest in the battle over the technology behind the next generation of DVD players and discs.

Blair Westlake, a Microsoft vice president, said the company's decision was made based on "irrefutable and empirical information" on the benefits of the HD-DVD format, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The company plans to build support only for HD-DVD into its next PC operating system, Windows Vista, which means that using Blu-ray products will require installing additional software, according to The Journal story.

Consumer-electronics retailers have resisted selling two types of next-generation DVD players, saying the rival formats would alienate consumers, The Journal said, but efforts to negotiate a compromise on a single format have so far failed.

The preference of Intel and Microsoft -- the biggest maker of PC chips and software, respectively -- carries substantial weight, The Journal said.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid={FA7472C7-A421-42BC-B5B4-01C6536EDB77}&siteid=google

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The companies said the HD DVD allows copies to be made to a hard drive or home server, movies to be played in current DVD players, low-cost manufacturing, superior capacity and more interactivity.

Oh yes?

The company plans to build support only for HD-DVD into its next PC operating system, Windows Vista, which means that using Blu-ray products will require installing additional software, according to The Journal story.

You mean to say you'll need to install a driver just to use BluRay?! Pah! BluRay's dead. Deceased. Buried. No more. Oviously everyone wanting a high definition optical drive format for their PC is going to avoid the one that needs a driver like the plague. All that hassle of putting in a CD and pressing an install button, it's toooo much.

Still don't quite see what this has to do with consoles though. You think Sony are going to switch to using HDDVD instead?

 

[London Geezer]

All that loom and doom for a driver?!

Everything would be doomed then!! My bloody SATA controller on the motherboard i bought needs a bloody driver! My bloody removable hard drive needs a bloody driver! Everything needs a driver!

Don't blame Sony or all other manufacturers in the world for MS's shortcomings in making a decent OS!

 

[Phil]

Couldn't Microsoft get into trouble for abusing their OS monopoly for natively supporting one format over the other?

Other than that, I don't see what the big deal is with Microsoft and Intel supporting HD-DVD. They don't make players anyway and their support not a big deal.

 

[one]

Of course MS won't support Blu-ray in Vista as they have to implement JVM in Windows to play it.

 

[rabidrabbit]

Or even worse! What if you could't burn a Blu Ray Disc directly on Windows Vista?!?
It's good you can do that in XP with CD's and DVD's. Who would be fool enough to use some other software like Nero when you can do it in Windows, no need to install additional software and it's so versatile and reliable!

Edit: What about if BR becomes the more succesful standard by a huge marigin, will Intel and MS still keep their heads and only support HD-DVD (even if it became virtually extinct)?

 

[Andy]

Guess I wont be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll have to install a new driver and possibly a new media player...

Seriously though if the likes of Dell, HP, Apple and Hitachi some of the biggest computer or parts manufacturers are behind bluray, what difference does it make if a CPU manufacturer and an OS maker are supporting HD-DVD instead?

 

[one]

Edit: What about if BR becomes the more succesful standard by a huge marigin, will Intel and MS still keep their heads and only support HD-DVD (even if it became virtually extinct)?

MS can support BD just like DVD-RAM in driver-level if not with adding BD-VIDEO player in WMP, but Intel won't as Intel is most likely to be the IC supplier for Toshiba's HD-DVD player until Cell can be produced with less cost.

 

[-NakedZ-]

I understand MS...you know, with their OS not supporting BR out of the box. But Intel? Anyone plz explain? I really don't see this (or both) as highly significant in winning the next-gen format war.

.Z

 

[London Geezer]

Or even worse! What if you could't burn a Blu Ray Disc directly on Windows Vista?!?
It's good you can do that in XP with CD's and DVD's. Who would be fool enough to use some other software like Nero when you can do it in Windows, no need to install additional software and it's so versatile and reliable!

That made me laugh

 

[London Geezer]

And by the way, another misleading thread title, and another thread solely opened to pursue your personal crusade, TEXAN. Congratulations.

 

[bRoNx]

Well, that about wraps it up for blu-ray

QFT - Quit F**k'n Trolling!

Back to the topic at hand...

TEXAN, can you please explain how M$ & Intel's support for HD-DVD spells the end for Blu-Ray? I'm struggling to see how you came to such conclusion from this press release. Please help!

Cheers

 

[London Geezer]

Please keep insults out of here, it's bad enough with TEXAN opening stupid threads without people starting to insult.

To answer your question, it doesn't need to make sense. In TEXAN's little world, he's hoping Sony and anything Sony related will burn in hell. This is no big news.

 

[bRoNx]

Please keep insults out of here, it's bad enough with TEXAN opening stupid threads without people starting to insult.

Done -- apologies

To answer your question, it doesn't need to make sense. In TEXAN's little world, he's hoping Sony and anything Sony related will burn in hell. This is no big news

Well, that does explain a lot of things...

 

[avaya]

If you need to install a driver to play Blu-Ray wouldn't Dell, HP and Apple already do that trivial install for you before they ship the product?

The driver thing is a nonsense.

If Microsoft plays around with Vista and Media Player to discriminate against Blu-Ray the DoJ will not stand idle, Mr. Monti at the EU compeitition commision will be sharpening his knife and Japan's FTC will be sure to strike.

I think WinTel's decision for HD-DVD support is a ploy to try and force everyone back to the table and stop with this nonsense. If it isn't I just don't understand their support for HD-DVD at this time.

 

[-NakedZ-]

he he, I hope I'm not out of the wall...but speaking of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. I read that iHD could do PIP from the hardware (player) and/or software. Could Java do this as well? Just wondering.

.Z

 

[Qroach]

Is there any reason texan isn't banned?

 

[London Geezer]

Is there any reason texan isn't banned?

Haven't seen Sonic or Vysez for ages! Still on the beach?! It's almost october! Besides, he comes and goes, you hardly ever see him around, he just comes in once or twice a month, opens a stupid thread or two then leaves it to the flames, so a one-week ban will do him no good.
Obviously, if people stopped feeding his obviously provocatory threads it would be perfect, but that's way too much to ask.

 

[TrungGap]

Nothing to see (read) here. Move along...MS done this with USB, and look at USB now.

 

[Lysander]

I thought than MS is developing their own version of hig def medium
(btw, texan didn`t lie about news, so why troll accusations)