If they introduce their blue laser QL VMD, it would be equal to HD DVD in terms of density but better in terms of total capacity. They state 60GB QL VMD eg 15GB/layer.
But slower than BRD, including the overhead of deeper layers that slow things down further. So performance-wise, BRD has the upper hand.
Not to mention it would have better physcial antipiracty capability than both HD DVD and BD.
That's probably true, although if the production is as straight-forward as they say, it wouldn't take muich for a large pirating organistion (if they exist! I don't about these things) to retrofit their own production facitilities. If pirates are dependent on consumer-level writers though, VMD could be unproducable for them.
MS isn't going to release their next console for several years so there's plenty of time to kick start the blue laser QL VMD format. According to their website existing lines can be upgraded to blue laser lines fairly easily.
Sadly companies predictions of ease never pan out. Technology invariable runs a year or three behind the intended deadlines. 65nm components were expected far sooner in the consoles than they actually arrived. This
news report from 2004 says VMD was expected to hit retailers in Fall 2005 with 30 GB discs, while
this report says the first VMD player appeared a year late. NME are bound to say 'it's easy!' but there are almost certainly problems to overcome. The lack of any blue-laser system now means come next-gen, the technology will likely be as new as BRD was when PS3 launched. Of course it won't cost anything liek as much as blue-laser creation will be old hat, but it'll still have the niggles and costs of a new format, and also the risk of a company that may not be economically sound if it hasn't managed to secure a suitably sized chunk of the market with the existing VMD format.
No, indeed, but my point was that any format is pretty the same as any other. The only reason we have different formats is do to people chasing the content markets. Picking between HD-DVd, BRD or a proprietary format, technical considerations aren't really a factor. It'll come down to how effective the infrastructure is to support the medium, with established (or easily built) production facilities, and readily available drives and competitive prices.
This is me offering my view of why VMD may be a viable alternative to HD DVD and BD as a proprietary physical disc format to use in a nextgen console as a means to combat piracy with the added benefit of higher capacity, good throughtput and future potential.
Higher capacity isn't an advantage over BRD, which ahs both an existing incrased capacity over current VMD, enough capacity now to cover virtually all games next-gen, and as much theoretical scope to increase in capcity as VMD within the limits of useability. That is, even if VMD can offer 10 layers at 15 GBs a layer, that capacity won't be needed, or will be too slow to use, IMO.
How is it worthless? Last time I checked X360 DVDs were dual layer and streamed pretty well.
Going beyond 2 layers is the problem, and that's VMD key selling point. Quad layer might not be sustainable. Other people have said as much, and they seem to have better knowhow than me in this field.
"Hey VMD looks like it has the potentioinal to be a very good proprietary game format for the next Xbox".
It's certainly an option, but in comparison to the alternatives, I don't see the advantages outwieghing aprice and ease difference, and I don't see VMD being able to compete with BRD which will be very cheap by then.
