iHD less expensive than Blu-ray alternative, thanks to Vista, says HP

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iHD less expensive than Blu-ray alternative, thanks to Vista, says HP

Fort Collins (CO) - The XML-based interactive functionality provision currently supported by HD DVD next-generation optical discs, will be an integral part of Windows Vista whether or not iHD-supportive optical discs come to market, an official of Hewlett-Packard told TG Daily. As a result, computer manufacturers will already be paying royalties on iHD, driving down their costs for adopting HD DVD over Blu-ray, the competing optical disc format that instead supports BD-J, an incompatible, Java-based alternative.

Josh Peterson, director of strategic alliances for the Optical Storage Solutions group of HP, is one of the company's two "point-people" making the unusual and, some would say, brave move of marshaling a complete U-turn in HP's stated position of just last month. As we reported on Friday, HP is taking a major gamble, and in so doing, perhaps spoiling the victory party that some analysts were preparing to throw for Blu-ray. Along with HP's general manager for personal storage, Maureen Weber, Peterson is saying that, for the good of the computer manufacturing industry, the Blu-ray Disc Association - of which HP is a founding member - should change its stance on iHD as well as mandatory managed copy, the guaranteed provision for users to make personal copies of licensed and legally-obtained content. Other Blu-ray members, including 20th Century-Fox and, as of last week, Warner Bros., are on record as opposing such guarantees in Blu-ray's AACS Internet-based copy protection system, saying studios should have the right to use tools that enable them to select not only which discs can be copied, but whose BD players can be used to copy them.

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com/2005/10/31/ih...u-ray_says_hp/
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