Microsoft May Support Blu-ray in Vista After All

[Marwin]

Microsoft May Support Blu-ray in Vista After All

Internal Microsoft documentation states that the software giant is set to make a surprising addition to the Windows Vista code tree on February 22, about a week after the company is expected to ship a feature complete version of the OS to testers. On that day, the company will apparently add "Blu-Ray DVD support" to the OS, according to the documentation I've seen.

There's just one problem: The software giant denies it will support Blu-Ray.

"There are still no plans for any development work on [Blu-Ray] from Microsoft," a company spokesperson told me on Wednesday. "Since Windows is a platform, they expect companies to provide [Blu-Ray] solutions for Windows Vista." The company pointed me to work that Cyberlink is doing with its XP-based Blu-Ray video editing, playback and disc burning solution as an example of the type of third party products it expects to see for Windows Vista as well.

Coincidentally, Microsoft publicly denounced any chance of it including native Blu-Ray support in Windows Vista on Wednesday. Noting that it had "absolutely no plans" to support Blu-Ray, Microsoft said it "firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers."

According to the internal documentation I've seen, Blu-Ray DVD support was initially set for inclusion in late January Vista builds, but was pushed back to late February. This week, Microsoft neared completion of the feature complete Vista build it will split off as the February Community Technical Preview (CTP) build that testers will receive next. That build will include such new features as Windows Sidebar, various antimalware technologies, and a Remote Desktop feature that supports Aero Glass with no performance penalty, among many others. To date, almost 60 different development teams at Microsoft have submitted code for the feature complete Windows Vista build.

[Blue]

1. To add a drive to an operating system is not a complex matter. Sure Microsoft do their best to make it harder.
2. Is Microsoft about to jepordise their O/S to play "games" with their game console. Sure their XBox
If Microsoft don't provide drivers Philips, Sony etc will. Microsoft wouldn't dare try and stop them. Microsoft are already in trouble with the EU.

[AV_Integrated]

I get that Microsoft really wants to win the console wars, but I don't think it is at all smart for them to take a stand against Blu-Ray as part of that strategy. X-Box will do well by providing excellent games, having top notch reliability and customer support, and coming in with a good price.

PS3 will do well - PERIOD. But, the numbers of game consoles may be very similar to X-Box 360 sales. This has nothing to do with Blu-Ray though. It will do well because it will be a good system. That's it.

Now, if they work to thwart a sub-system of PS3 which isn't a part of the gaming wars really, by not including it in their next gen OS, it is extremely short-sighted. Especially when you look at the industry support for Blu-Ray at CES. There WILL be about half a dozen companies with Blu-Ray players for PCs before this year is out. There will be PCs that likely ship with Blu-Ray players as well.

Apple, obviously, is on the Blu-Ray board, but it would probably be the final straw in the 'format war' if Microsoft shifted its support to Blu-Ray.

Perhaps that's just it though - Microsoft may WANT the format war so that they can come in with software based solutions and the Internet offerring something completely different. Downloadable HD - nothing extra to buy, all networkable... wireless. Hard to say for sure.

[thunderhawk]

Heh, no support for Blu-ray Disc, don't let me laugh!

There's no research needed for M$. The companies of the drives make drivers for the drives. I don't see what M$ has to decide!
Neither do I know what M$ has to do with the format war. Microsoft may be a big company, but they don't sell drives!

Perhaps that's just it though - Microsoft may WANT the format war so that they can come in with software based solutions and the Internet offerring something completely different. Downloadable HD - nothing extra to buy, all networkable... wireless. Hard to say for sure

By the way, Billy Gates doesn't believe in technologies like Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD in the first place. He said they plan on providing content and expanding 'movie-on-demand'-like services using the internet in the future.

[AV_Integrated]

Originally Posted by thunderhawk

There's no research needed for M$. The companies of the drives make drivers for the drives. I don't see what M$ has to decide!
Neither do I know what M$ has to do with the format war. Microsoft may be a big company, but they don't sell drives!

By the way, Billy Gates doesn't believe in technologies like Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD in the first place. He said they plan on providing content and expanding 'movie-on-demand'-like services using the internet in the future.

Except X-Box is a drive based system that they sell that is worth billions to them. There are reports of them releasing a HD-DVD drive for the X-Box this year as well. I would say they definitely are interested in this format war a bit.

But, it seems to me, to be much moreso towards the last statement. If M$ can keep a format war going, then it makes the software solution and on-demand HD seem so much better. Basically, they may be investing to make sure that people are confused, that Blu-Ray flounders, and then not actually follow up with real support for HD-DVD either.

If M$ wasn't in the picture right now, I don't think anyone would have much belief in HD-DVD as a viable contender at all. As it is, I am amazed at how many think HD-DVD is still a viable format compared to Blu-Ray.

[mlts22]

Other than the DRM layer (which for me isn't an issue, as I intend to use a BD drive for backups), virtually, from a driver standpoint, there isn't much difference between a BD drive and a DVD drive, other than the size of the disk.

If Microsoft does not support Blu-ray, I hope Sony, et al. can make a standard, "fire and forget" driver that can be installed via a setup.exe file (for consumers), as well as pushed to clients via a .MSI package (for administrators).