Swanni not pulling any punches on Microsofts HD DVD ITV...

[joeorc]

Microsoft HDi Logo Added to HD DVDs
Thursday, September 20, 2007, 03:06 PM
News & Commentary
Microsoft HDi Logo Added to HD DVDs
The symbol promotes Microsoft's interactive features.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (September 20, 2007) -- Microsoft today said its HDi logo will soon appear on all Toshiba HD DVD players and HD DVD discs from Universal and Paramount.

The HDi logo means that Microsoft's Interactive TV features are available on the devices and film releases.

Microsoft's HDi technology in HD DVD players enables viewers to re-edit movies, download trailers and participate in online polls among other activities.

The features are available on such HD DVD titles as 300, Miami Vice and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

"With Microsoft's HDi technology, Toshiba is able to offer consumers a consistent movie-watching experience in a way that simply isn't possible with today's DVDs or available with any other format right now," Jodi
Sally, Toshiba's vice president of marketing said today in a press release.

"As the market for High Definition evolves, consumers will want more out of the next generation of DVD than just superior picture and sound -- they'll also want to personalize their experience and tap into fan communities for their favorite movies and TV shows," added Amir Majidimehr, corporate vice president of Microsoft's consumer media technology.

Commentary:
Microsoft has now been trying to shove Interactive TV down our throats for 10 years, investing billions of dollars on this foolish folly. But people simply don't want it. Time and time again -- whether it's WebTV, MSN TV, cable TV, you name it -- consumers have shown no interest in interacting with their televisions. They want to watch TV, not interact with it!

If Toshiba and Microsoft continue to deliver the message that HD DVD is ITV, the format will fail. The companies should be emphasizing HD DVD's great picture and sound, not the ability to go shopping or play a game on your TV.

Of course, Toshiba may not have an option here. Microsoft is investing heavily in the HD DVD format. Toshiba probably can not afford to tell Microsoft that it wants to downplay the ITV stuff. So, expect more.

www.tvpredictions.com

[radagast]

Originally Posted by joeorc

Microsoft HDi Logo Added to HD DVDs
Thursday, September 20, 2007, 03:06 PM
News & Commentary
Microsoft HDi Logo Added to HD DVDs
The symbol promotes Microsoft's interactive features.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (September 20, 2007) -- Microsoft today said its HDi logo will soon appear on all Toshiba HD DVD players and HD DVD discs from Universal and Paramount.

The HDi logo means that Microsoft's Interactive TV features are available on the devices and film releases.



Commentary:
Microsoft has now been trying to shove Interactive TV down our throats for 10 years, investing billions of dollars on this foolish folly. But people simply don't want it. Time and time again -- whether it's WebTV, MSN TV, cable TV, you name it -- consumers have shown no interest in interacting with their televisions. They want to watch TV, not interact with it!

If Toshiba and Microsoft continue to deliver the message that HD DVD is ITV, the format will fail. The companies should be emphasizing HD DVD's great picture and sound, not the ability to go shopping or play a game on your TV.

Of course, Toshiba may not have an option here. Microsoft is investing heavily in the HD DVD format. Toshiba probably can not afford to tell Microsoft that it wants to downplay the ITV stuff. So, expect more.

www.tvpredictions.com

If that is true that people simply aren't interested in HDi, then let MS throw their money away and keep doing it. When hd-dud fails, maybe they will learn a lesson to keep their big fat noses out of markets they don't belong in.

If people want to interact with the TV, they will buy a PS3 and games. And hd-dud fanboys will get bored with HDi after a while. I'm already bored just typing this.

[lch]

Originally Posted by joeorc

If Toshiba and Microsoft continue to deliver the message that HD DVD is ITV, the format will fail. The companies should be emphasizing HD DVD's great picture and sound, not the ability to go shopping or play a game on your TV.

if they have great picture and sound to begin with.

[Teazle]

Originally Posted by joeorc

Microsoft has now been trying to shove Interactive TV down our throats for 10 years, investing billions of dollars on this foolish folly.

Foolish folly! Those are the words of a critical critic ...

I think the last thing the consumer wants to see is yet another pseudotechnical acronym, especially for something which (pace the MS press release) isn't much of a selling point for the product. Pushing this feature with an extra symbol on hardware and software only adds one more piece of potential confusion for a hesitant and already bewildered prospective HDM adopter.

By that of course I mean "early HDM adopter".

[Slapper]

Originally Posted by joeorc

"With Microsoft's HDi technology, Toshiba is able to offer consumers a consistent movie-watching experience in a way that simply isn't possible with today's DVDs or available with any other format right now," Jodi
Sally, Toshiba's vice president of marketing said today in a press release.

I think it's funny she added that little bit at the end, "right now".

[kjack]

The whole purpose of getting a logo on the front of a CE device is (1) to promote your company/technology, or (2) show the consumer that it has technology they desire (Dolby and DTS come to mind). Hey, even Sigma had a logo program at one point...

Logos can be mandatory as part of the technology license agreement, or the CE company incentivized to include it, usually as a minor discount of technology licensing fees.

That said, what if somebody develops their own version of HDi from the HD DVD specs? Is Microsoft's HDi logo still used?