Microsoft flip-flops on Blu-ray

[aaronwt]

Originally Posted by movies3

the only ppl that will care are the ppl that bought the add on thinking HD dvd was going to win. They better start selling there add-on IMO

The discs will still play. There are people that still watch their Laser disc collections and VHS collections. Even if the format dies, why would you get rid of the titles. They will still last until Video ON Demand takes over from DVD in a few years.

[movies3]

Originally Posted by aaronwt

The discs will still play. There are people that still watch their Laser disc collections and VHS collections. Even if the format dies, why would you get rid of the titles. They will still last until Video ON Demand takes over from DVD in a few years.

why keep the titles that are going to be on bluray anyways?

[Blu-Ray Buckeye]

Originally Posted by aaronwt

They will still last until Video ON Demand takes over from DVD in a few years.

LOL that's a reach. M$ is making a big bet that HD via VOD will happen far sooner than anyone else believes. The truth is it won't. Compared to physical media, even SD on VOD isn't doing all that well and the bandwidth for HD is far, far greater. We were supposed to be so far ahead of where we are in terms of bandwidth right now, but the truth is it's still pretty miserable. By now everyone was supposed to have broadband at home and all phone calls would be over VOIP... again reality says that a very low percentage of people actuall have these things.

HD VOD is more than 10 years away from being a mainstream reality. You might as well have suggested that people hold onto their VHS tapes until Blu-ray or HD-DVD came out instead of adoption DVDs at all.

[Mystique]

It doesn't matter because they're system sucks and it's going DOWN.

[rogue_zero_one]

MS never looked to the future when designing the 360 and it's begining to show. They're going to make a new console and drop the 360 users just like they dropped the xbox users in hopes they'll by the next console.

Sony looked into the future and made the PS3 as futureproof as it could be and it is to last 10 years. the 360 has a life span of only 3-4 years before its technology isn't enough.

[KingDeezie]

I don't think Microsofts problem was with not future-proofing the Xbox 360, it was with not realizing how much of an impact an all-in-one machine could have on the public...

Microsoft originally set out to create the most developer friendly, online-centric, and best video game console they could create given the technology they had. Arguably, the succedded with most of those goals. Currently, and this may change with the intro of Home, Microsoft has the best online service for a console. While it is true that it does cost money, as opposed to the free Playstation network, it does offer the most downloadable content and easiest method to jump online and get into the action. Also, as has been spoken before by developers it is a very friendly console to develop for, and up until this point has the most next generation games, and the majority of the highest reviewed next generation games as well.

However, the boat that Microsoft missed was that people like these consoles that they purchase to be multi-functional. They also missed the fact that you could sell consoles to non-gamers based off of other features that could appeal to the average consumer. Sony has effectively turned the PS3 into a machine that not only plays next generation games, but also is a very capable Bluray player, as well as an upconverting DVD player.

It is this reason that Microsoft is now scrambling to come out with add-ons and redos to compete with the market, as evidenced by the HD-DVD add on and the Elite.

Once the PS3 starts pumping out some worthwhile games, it will be nice to see how market share shifts.

[Pilam69]

Is this even a serious problem/issue? The fact is that the 360 was MS's "all-in-one" answer until they saw Sony's REAL all-in-one answer and found out just how badly they missed the boat. No HDMI, no built-in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, no ability to support the supposed people who would want the all-in-one product. AND, when you add up the costs to make MS's 360 (supposedly) as capable as the PS3 it costs MORE!!! The people like us (who are primarily early adopters and follow technology) knew that Sony was taking a leap but realized that there is no way Sony can afford to let Blu-Ray fail. MS is not massively invested in the technology like Sony is. Sony has literally bet their company on Blu-Ray and the PS3 and they will do anything and everything to make it succeed.

[aaronwt]

Originally Posted by Blu-Ray Buckeye

LOL that's a reach. M$ is making a big bet that HD via VOD will happen far sooner than anyone else believes. The truth is it won't. Compared to physical media, even SD on VOD isn't doing all that well and the bandwidth for HD is far, far greater. We were supposed to be so far ahead of where we are in terms of bandwidth right now, but the truth is it's still pretty miserable. By now everyone was supposed to have broadband at home and all phone calls would be over VOIP... again reality says that a very low percentage of people actuall have these things.

HD VOD is more than 10 years away from being a mainstream reality. You might as well have suggested that people hold onto their VHS tapes until Blu-ray or HD-DVD came out instead of adoption DVDs at all.

Comcast On Demand is growing by leaps and bounds. i know several families who buy and rent less DVDS because of Comcast On Demand. It's quick, cheap and easy which is what your average person wants. I see people embracing Comcast On Demand that are technology phobic. They find it so easy and there are hundreds of movie choices at any given time. Video On demand might be a ways away from becoming mainstram, but comcast On Demand has already achieved that. It is almost growing exponentially.

[Chad Varnadore]

I don't get the distinction between Comcasts brand of VOD and others. It's still VOD isn't it? Or is Comcast not video based?

I don't know anyone that has Comcast or anything more than PPV. And of those, most buy or rent in a brick and mortar. My folks used to PPV several movies a week and rented from stores several per week since getting our first VCR in the early 80's (first on the block). Now they just wait until it comes out on one of the movie channels.

VOD in one form or another has been around for years and even by the end of 2006, BD sales had already surpassed digital downloads in number and "especially revenue". - David Bishop Sony Home Video president

"We've had vod or near-vod for years and it has not had the slightest impact on packaged media." - Andy Parsons, senior vp Pioneer

"Somewhere between 50% - 90% of the download business is in addition to packaged media." -Steve Beeks, Lionsgate president

"I think all forms of packaged media for films are pretty safe for at least the next 10 years. Blu-ray offers features that electronic distribution won't be able to deliver for a very long time." -Mike Dunn, Fox Home Video president

"It's not very material at this point and will not be a significant contributor to our business for at least the next 5 years. That leaves plenty of time for another physical format to seed itself in the mind of the consumer and retailer." Bob Chapek, home video president Disney

"The pipes are too small. And if you speed it up by using higher compression, then I would say, 'What's the point?'" -Andy Parsons, Pioneer

"The disc is not dead, far from it. Many games are simply too large to easily download. All our current downloadable games found on the PlayStation Network are under 500 MBs of data. There will always be that consumer who wants the instant gratification of popping in a disc and playing rather than waiting for a download no matter how fast it is." -Kazuo Harai, Sony Computer Ent. president

I think Microsoft is trying to create their own reality by convincing people that VOD is the future, because it means more revenue and control for them, essentially putting themself in an even better position than Toshiba's been sitting off of royalties for DVD. Personally, I'm not buying. Packaged media got me into HT. And it's death will likely drive me out. The concept just isn't at all attractive to me, especially considering we'll likely be seeing a reduction in quality compared to BD.

Like I've said before, I suspect Microsoft is using HD DVD as a test platform for squeezing the most out of VC-1, which would explain why they deny there's any quality advantage at higher bitrates, as illogical as that sounds, and why they don't like it when compressionists or others point out flaws with the codec. It's not just because it means BD can do something else that HD DVD can't. Microsoft never gave a hoot about HD DVD in the first place. It's because they know that they'll need the bitrates low in the future for VOD.