Working group on DVD2 format, recreating HD-DVD [Deadmeat FUD]

[saprano]

oh brother when will it end?

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OPINION: DVD revival
By Paul Sweeting
March 7, 2008
In the aftermath of Blu-ray’s victory over HD DVD in the high-def format war, many commentators predicted Blu-ray’s reign would be short lived, soon to be done in by digital downloads. But as Sony officials know, Blu-ray supporters’ biggest immediate challenge is to get consumers to make the leap from standard DVD to high-def.

“The battle really begins now to move people away from DVD to Blu-ray,” Sony Electronics president Stanley Glasgow told reporters at his semi-annual roundtable last week, according to VB sister publication TWICE. “We have a lot of work to do now, so we are not gloating. Upscale DVD players have gotten better and better. We need to explain the additional feature sets, PIP, BD Live and other features.”

It may not only be upscaling DVD players that Blu-ray finds itself up against, however. Barely missing a beat after abandoning HD DVD, Toshiba and Microsoft, two of that format’s principal backers, have turned their attention to an attempt to overhaul the standard DVD format by adding a host of new features and functionalities.

At the most recent DVD Forum meeting last month, Toshiba got itself reelected as chair of the Steering Committee for another two years, leaving it well-positioned to guide future developments in the format.

At the same meeting, according to a summary posted on the Forum Web site, the committee approved the formation of a new working group (dubbed WG-12) “to study and specify network applications and related network specification of DVD Forum formats, make recommendations for better interoperability and functionality of network-connected DVD Forum specified devices and content and communicate on relevant recommendations with other standard creation organizations.”

What that means in non-Forum legalese, I’m told by sources familiar with the plans, is that the new working group will look for ways to incorporate some of the same next-gen functionality developed for HD DVD into a DVD 2.0 format, including the HDi interactive layer and the advanced network connectivity.
One of the co-chairs of WG-12 is Microsoft, which played a major role in developing those capabilities for HD DVD (the other co-chair is Panasonic).

Toshiba and Microsoft are also working through the DVD Copy Control Assn., which oversees the CSS encryption format used on standard DVDs, to try to breathe new life into the old format.

Microsoft was behind a proposal to DVD-CCA—originally floated two years ago but revived in modified form late last year—to introduce “managed-copy” to standard DVDs, under which consumers would be able to copy their DVDs to a hard drive under carefully DRM’ed conditions, for streaming over a home network.

Since then, Microsoft has largely abandoned the effort, after meeting multiple objections from the studios.

The studios have since introduced their own proposal for managed-copy, but it met a cool reception from other members of DVD-CCA, in particular the computer and software companies, who felt the studios’ more limited proposal would not attract enough consumer interest to make it worth implementing.

There the matter sat until last week, when Toshiba unexpectedly raised the issue on a conference call, according to several knowledgeable sources, signaling an apparent new interest on the part of the CE company in managed-copy.

Whether Toshiba will have any better luck getting the studios to go along with a more comprehensive managed-copy proposal than Microsoft had, my sources have their doubts.

But clearly, Toshiba is doing everything it can to try to keep the DVD format relevant, now that it no longer has a horse in the high-def sweepstakes.Whether anyone would actually build a machine that includes all the new functionality under discussion, even Toshiba, depends entirely on whether enough studios signal a willingness to release DVDs that take advantage of the new capabilities.

And that will likely depend on how quickly Blu-ray takes off.

DVD 2.0 Format Specification

1. Video encoded in MPEG2 SD
2. HD available via Super Upconversion to 960p
3. HDi interactivity
4. Networking
5. Managed Copy
6. Fully backward compatible with existing DVD players.

Basically, Toshiba and Microsoft are trying to recreate HD-DVD experience on DVD via extensions.

http://www.contentagenda.com/article/CA6539511.html

[JTK]

Ridiculous.

[ezcobar411]

All 3 are on my never purchase again list

[stockstar1138]

Just when I thought those 3 companies could not get any dumber.

Some how Toshiba and Microsoft are going to manage to lose twice to blu-ray.

[Stiny-Ray2]

Exactly that makes no sense...who would trust Toshida after they just bailed on their own product? But they are sucker's born every minute especially at the HD-DVD sites.

[saprano]

They cant be for real.........this has got to stop.

[Mermen79]

If true, wasn't it predicted that Toshiba would just try its best at keeping DVD fresh? What is this super up-converter by the way? I can't find info on it.

[PaulGo]

The specs for DVD 2.0 are total conjuncture by a poster on a forum.
This is not an official specification.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

The specs for DVD 2.0 are total conjuncture by a poster on a forum.
This is not an official specification.

And that, too, is ridiculous.

[statikcat]

That is ridiculous if it still sports SD video! You can actually fit pretty damn good looking HD movie in 8gb which would fit on a DVD. It would seem more logical if it was the same DVD format but required new DVD2 players that could read HD video on a DVD. The big selling point of this would probably be they could keep DVD prices the same as they are now - but with a much better picture and cheap player. Now, it still wouldn't look as good as Blu but it would be somewhat a threat. OH well no way DVD2 will go anywhere still sporting SD video.

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

The specs for DVD 2.0 are total conjuncture by a poster on a forum.
This is not an official specification.

Thanks for that info. Hopefully this will never come to fruition

[sAvAgE69]

Originally Posted by ezcobar411

All 3 are on my never purchase again list

I agree

this is sad. This gives new meaning to

[Bullseye]

Is this an indication that Paramount are not interested in releasing on BD?

[Luis_A51]

They're idiots if they assume people will buy new DVD players just for web-related features.

These will have virtually no impact. The battle between bluray and DVD has always been about AQ/PQ first, with special features being an afterthought to most consumers.

Too little too late. And whos to say studios would even put these features on a DVD?

[SkillzthatKillz]

yeah i personally dont think this will ever take off because the studios dont want to compete against blu-ray and this super upconverter sounds like a load of horse shit to me. everyone i know who has an HDTV is really interested in blu-ray, they just havn't brought themselves to pony up $400 for a player yet

[CptGreedle]

This has to be the worst idea ever. Not only is DVD slacking, and has BD won the format war, now they want to make DVD more confusing and try to get people to buy new DVD players!
BD will not only be cheaper by then but more accepted and with more support.
Why anyone would want to support this is beyond me, but against Blu-ray, DVD, and digital downloads, there is not way a DVD2.0 will ever make any headway.
I mean if they want to buy a new DVD player, why get a DVD 2.0 when they can get a Blu-ray?

BOYCOTT MS, TOSHIBA, and PANASONIC!

[JTK]

I hope an insider glances through and comments on this whole thing at some point.

[newguy7]

Here are more specs on the new DVD II: this time it's personal.

1. Flux capacitor
2. Foreman Grill
3. Robot repelling function.

[Weati]

I can't believe anyone would go along with this. I don't think we'll be hearing much more about this. It's a dumb idea all around. Sony needs to lower prices and get more Blu-ray players in households to kill this thing before this crap format actually gets released.

[CptGreedle]

Originally Posted by newguy7

Here are more specs on the new DVD II: this time it's personal.

1. Flux capacitor
2. Foreman Grill
3. Robot repelling function.

DVD2.0, now with karate-chop action!