Proof of the vitality of HD-DVD?

[alan_mair]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6243383.stm

Amir Majidimehr, corporate vice president of consumer technology at Microsoft, said the dual format player by LG - originally a Blu-ray only backer - was proof of the vitality of HD-DVD.

"LG are recognising there is a thriving market for HD-DVD. That's the most positive thing for me.

"It's going to show the way to other Blu-ray exclusive companies. LG is saying that HD-DVD is not dying.

"You can wish it goes away but I'm here to ensure that it doesn't."

Just thought I'd put this up for comment.


But in his next breath he seems to be trying to kill them both off:

Mr Majidimehr predicted that the lifespan of both formats would also be less than the current DVD format.

It has lasted 10 years with great success but Mr Majidimehr said the technology would be superseded by developments in online delivery of hi-def content.

PS. New to all this, watched a few forums on both BLU-RAY and HD-DVD, and decided to go with the best format. Plus couldn't put up with all the hate and childishness on the HD-DVD side of the fence.

[WriteSimply]

Online delivery is Microsoft's ULTIMATE plan. It's not about HD-DVD. It's about putting forth their codec and their home media solution. HD-DVD, Warner and Toshiba are just pawns.

However, it may take more than 10 years for online distribution to take hold (not that MS cares). Physical media is still the best way of ensuring delivery. Most of the world have not yet even migrated to DVD (VCD is still the format to beat). Once every country goes hi-def, the next thing to go is laying the infrastructure of the internet. So it'll take more than 10 years.

By which time we'd already be moving on to Ultra-HDTV and downloading movies encoded in that format would take a few days on 30GBps internet instead of a few hours of HDTV.

In short, don't sweat about MS.


fuad

[blitz6speed]

Direct TV or was it Dish network (not sure which) mentioned their HD channels will be using VC-1. So obviously, their plan is being put into motion. They just have to stop the threat of Blu-Ray, which is enemy #1 to microsoft all the way.

[JTK]

^^ Exactly right.

10 years is probably a generous figure for one obvious reason:

If you live in borderline rural areas like I do? I can assure you it's going to be at least that long before I EVER see FIOS like fiber optic networks and the rest of it around here, if ever.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by JTK

^^ Exactly right.

10 years is probably a generous figure for one obvious reason:

If you live in borderline rural areas like I do? I can assure you it's going to be at least that long before I EVER see FIOS like fiber optic networks and the rest of it around here, if ever.

FiOS is a long term plan transition for Vz. If you're being serviced by Verizon, and they're not getting the rural connection subsidies for your connection, you will be FiOS enabled eventually.

AT&T has also started their own implementation and deployment of FTTP although, there's only a small handful of markets there.

That said, eventually is a bit indefinant and there hasn't been many hard dates that have been released. Vz is extremely happy with the change in franchise laws that allows them to negotiate a franchise on a broader scope instead of just with cities [which was the largest impedement towards FiOS deployment initially, they had 2yr+ negotiations going on for some of those markets due to Cable's interference]. With that law change, they've pushed up alot of the deployment rates and expectations.

Goes without saying that it'll depend largely on which market you're in. However, if you're being serviced by Vz, most of the infrastructure should have already transitioned to Fiber ten years ago.

As a sidenote, don't discount FTTP presence in other nations [specifically Asia], Japan's FTTP deployment was up to 5.4 mill last year...

[Alex Pallas]

just a wild guess: someone was paid off

[Iceman_II]

I think LGs player is a nod to the fact that there are people with a bunch of high cost coasters who will still want to play them when the world shifts to BD (and their crappy toshiba players die off and there are no new ones to replace them with under warrantee)

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by blitz6speed

Direct TV or was it Dish network (not sure which) mentioned their HD channels will be using VC-1. So obviously, their plan is being put into motion. They just have to stop the threat of Blu-Ray, which is enemy #1 to microsoft all the way.

I think DirecTV announced that VC-1 would be an alternate codec for the updated satellite services (cue the MS press release), but the problem there is there is no real-time VC-1 encoders. A critical missing piece for broadcast TV.

The big threat to MS is OCAP (Open Cable Application Platform). This has the support of the major CE, some of the big cablecos. And it uses a derivative of (you guessed it) Java. Something quite close to BD-J. Also, there is a SoC for this: Sigma Designs. The same one as available for BD boxes.

Panasonic made a deal with Comcast to create OCAP boxes. Clearly, sticking a BD drive or burner in one would be a trivial extension.

All of this is what MS fears. A totally Java-based/AVC/MPEG-2 world. MS completely shut out.

Gary

[blitz6speed]

Now thats what i like to hear. Having the book shut on MS's fingers everytime they try to move into a market by the REAL muscle! Go sigma!

[digital.view]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

Online delivery is Microsoft's ULTIMATE plan. It's not about HD-DVD. It's about putting forth their codec and their home media solution. HD-DVD, Warner and Toshiba are just pawns.

However, it may take more than 10 years for online distribution to take hold (not that MS cares). Physical media is still the best way of ensuring delivery. Most of the world have not yet even migrated to DVD (VCD is still the format to beat). Once every country goes hi-def, the next thing to go is laying the infrastructure of the internet. So it'll take more than 10 years.

By which time we'd already be moving on to Ultra-HDTV and downloading movies encoded in that format would take a few days on 30GBps internet instead of a few hours of HDTV.

In short, don't sweat about MS.


fuad

I wonder how Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and all the other consumer product makers feel about Microsoft's plan to by-pass them trying to go the Windows-centric for movies route?