RSSNext-Generation DVD Deal May Be Near
By Ed Oswald | Published April 21, 2005, 12:59 PM
A prominent Japanese business newspaper reported Thursday that a deal may be close between Toshiba and Sony over the next-generation format of DVDs. The news comes a little over one week after a Sony Media Group official said publicly that one high-definition format would be in the best interests of the consumer.
The two companies appear increasingly wary of a 21st Century version of the Betamax and VHS format wars of the 1980s. Each format has their strengths: HD-DVD has backward compatibility with most current DVD players, while Blu-ray offers nearly twice the space of HD-DVD.
Until recently, however, neither group made any indication that they were willing to negotiate with the other.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the two sides may be close enough to announce a deal as early as this month. However, both companies played down the report, saying only that meetings are taking place and will continue to do so.
Sony has proposed to use its own Blu-ray disc structure while using HD-DVD's software. Toshiba, on the other hand, wants to use the HD-DVD disc structure while incorporating the multi-layer recording capabilities of Blu-ray, the paper reported.
Whether a deal occurs or not, time is running short for a decision. Both sides have publicly stated that they would like to have players on the market by the 2005 holiday season. But if a deal is struck, it could mean players may not be available until early next year.
Another possible casualty of a unified high-definition DVD format could be PlayStation 3, due in early 2006. Sony's new gaming console is slated to utilize Blu-ray disc, and a deal could delay the launch.
I think Sony really has HD-DVD by the balls with Blu-Ray. So people may have to wait 3-6 months longer for Blu-Ray to come into the game (which I doubt). First off MOST people aren't ready to move on from DVD to a new media yet, aren't gonna pay for a new player & don't have the high definition set-up to utilize these new technologies. Blu-Ray offers double the storage. They may only have 40% of the market share of movie distribution, but as soon as people realize how much more quality and features can/will be offered on Blu-Ray discs, HD-DVD will be on its way down already. Also, greater size will win-out for computer users too (not to mention the immediate availability of Blu-Ray recorders). Given the supposed reliability of the TDK (i think that's right) disc protection for the very thin layer over the bits of data on Blu-Ray, they have overcome what HD-DVD probably figured was one of its greatest risks of deployment for Blu-Ray. With a little patience on the part of Sony, their backers and from consumers, I think this is one case where everyone can afford to wait. I have an HD Projector and I have no problem waiting for Blu-Ray and its 40% share of movies, because that WILL change.
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|They better not water down bluray.
1. 54 gigs { planned 200 gigs possible }
2. 1x speed { 16x speed in future }
3. wide support
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|It's good that companies cooperate with each other to make a new DVD standard.
But I think they should not make it compatible with the future PS3 discs, so that the hi-tech pirates have at least more work to be able to copy the discs.
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|Don't know if everyone shares my sentiments, but the fact that both camps are talking to each other is great. To see all the players cooperate and put their best stuff together into one player is nice. Sure, there are numbers involved and hopefully it'll look good for both sides to make this happen. In the end, we as consumers don't have to sweat much about choosing the next-gen writers/players.
Atleast thats what I think
Sage
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