AfterDawn: News

Disney to support Blu-Ray

Disney announced yesterday that it will support Blu-Ray as its choice for the next generation optical format, instead of the HD-DVD. Disney's announcement means basically that it is more and more unclear which "next generation" format will take over once DVD runs out of steam, as all the major Hollywood studios are almost equally split over the two competing blue-laser technologies.

After Disney's announcement, Blu-Ray camp includes virtually all the major consumer electronic companies, such as Sony, Pioneer and Philips and also some heavy-weight studios like Disney, Sony and MGM. Meanwhile, HD-DVD camp hasn't been resting either -- Toshiba just recently announced a hybrid DVD/HD-DVD disc format and its supporters include studios like Universal and Warner Bros.



As the confusion over the winning next generation optical disc format continues, it is obvious that the transition from DVDs to high-resolution blue-laser formats will begin next year, as HDTV-capable sets get more and more popular, specially in the United States and in Japan, and people will begin to look for content that supports the resolution the TV sets are capable of.

Source: Financial Times

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 10 Dec 2004 13:42

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• 43 comments

• djscoop

  leave it to Disney to want to be different. I say good for them! I like blu-ray better anyways, cause its SONY!

  10.12.2004 13:46 #1

• daemonzx6

  Blu-Ray is definitely my number one choice...
  but I don't know how I feel about a company such as Disney supporting such a great format, I mean, I don't want it to get a bad rep. Disney'll probably just use the extra space to store even more unskippable previews--in HD!

  10.12.2004 14:35 #2

• punx777

  hd-dvd is going to be much more sucessful i think.
  
  
  i hate sony.. they are corperate nazis

  10.12.2004 16:17 #3

• diabolos

  Sony created Beta-Max. That was the last time something like this happend and they had control. Lets hope they have learned there lesson or we will all be using inferior technology again due to Sony being, as punx777 put it, corperate nazis.

  10.12.2004 16:55 #4

• daemonzx6

  how is it inferior if it has a higher storage capacity and supports all the same codecs as HD-DVD?
  and corporate nazis!? HD-DVD is Microsoft! you can't get more corporate nazi than that

  10.12.2004 21:59 #5

• djscoop

  no kidding! I love Sony. They are an excellent company and make very well made components and products. Do you guys have any idea where the entertainment industry would be without sony? They are such a huge asset its unbeleiveable. I don't think I've ever had a single sony product fail that I have bought...with the exception of my first ps2 which I attempted to mod, and severly screwed up.

  11.12.2004 10:36 #6

• daemonzx6

  really! Sony was the first to use CRT technology in TVs and computer monitors, they made the first color VCR, the Betamax we know so well, the first digital VTR, the Walkman, the 3.5 Inch floppy, the first CD player, and the first home video recorder. I'd have to say that they are a great asset as well.

  11.12.2004 14:44 #7

• noshow

  that sucks, one i dont want a HD TV till they last 10 t0 15 years like the reg TV's. 2 they better make up there minds on the format of DVD's 3 if they cant im not buying anmore damn f^%King disk till they do. i went tru this shit during the beta and vhs crap

  11.12.2004 16:23 #8

• djscoop

  check out all the chapters of Sony's history. They've pioneered so much for electronics its crazy. Just because they over price a few items doesn't make them evil corporate nazis. In my opinion, Sony products deserve to be more expensive than anything else cause its better than anything else!

  11.12.2004 16:25 #9

• djscoop

  http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/

  11.12.2004 16:26 #10

• Ghostdog

  Quote:corperate nazis. Definition, please.
  
  Don´t use the word "nazi" in relation to this. Nothing Sony, or almost any company for that matter, has done makes them in any way compareable to the events in Nazi Germany in the last century.

  12.12.2004 00:38 #11

• Yardwaste

  I don't want another betamax vs VHS mess. This is one time I hope the gov't steps in and says--"only 1 format will be allowed to be sold. Hurry up and reach a consenus or we will make the decision for you."
  
  This would be in the best interest of the consumer--to have one formay only. I really couldn't give a darn about which one. JUST CHOOSE ONE!!!! (PS --I had a betamax cause I wanted quality---but it lost out because of consumer stupidity!!!)

  12.12.2004 05:14 #12

• diabolos

  No No people Sony created Beta-Max wich was better than VHS but because they were Nazis there tech got discarded while VHS got world wide attention and ended up being one of the greates inventions in the history of TV.
  Quote:That was the last time something like this happend and they had control. Lets hope they have learned there lesson or we will all be using inferior technology againWhat I'm saying is that I want to use the better format, even if I have to pay too much for it, so I don't have to use somthing that isn't as good because everybody else supports it.
  
  Anyway, I work in retail, I know that sony is a good company. Still though, they use there name to jack up prices. I have also hear alot of complaints about there DVD players.
  Quote:i hate sony.. they are corperate nazisThere "Nazis" when it comes to thier propritary technology haits (which is why they lost the Beta-Max VHS war).
  
  Keep the post comin'
  Ced

  12.12.2004 09:39 #13

• Kershek

  Diabolos, proper spelling and grammar would increase the credibility of your posts.

  13.12.2004 09:00 #14

• djscoop

  and the claws come out...lol

  13.12.2004 10:06 #15

• Kershek

  Hey, I was being nice :)

  13.12.2004 10:57 #16

• punx777

  lol sry... i didnt really mean corperate nazis.... i just get angry because almost all the people i know with ps2s have had troubles.... they were poorly designed and i dont think they should have released em when they did.. they didnt figure it out til version 7 lol.... also i bought a minidisk player from them, 2 days later, it stopped burning..
  
  lol will someone please explain what beta max is.. i had never heard of it til this post.

  13.12.2004 19:45 #17

• djscoop

  well now you know one (ME) who has never had a problem with his PS2, his 8X CDRW drive, or his DVD Player. I've never had any reason to beleive that Sony products break down or are inferior to other brands. Every Sony product I've ever had has worked flawlessly. :)

  13.12.2004 19:54 #18

• daemonzx6

  an 8X?
  the only problem I've ever had was with my PS2, when it stopped playing games and DVDs right. We talked to customer service and they said that the Gameshark for PS2 could cause those problems. We had been using a Gameshark, and so they offered to let us send it in to Florida and they would fix it and send it back free of charge, and it hasn't had a problem since then. So I guess I am impressed with Sony's products and service.
  As for Betamax, it was a competing format for the VHS, it was a smaller tape that produced better quality, but for some reason, it was less popular among the common man, so VHS won out and killed Betamax forever.

  13.12.2004 20:03 #19

• djscoop

  yeah I've had a Sony 8X CDRW for a good four years now. I've seriously burned thousands of discs with it. Keep it now for backup, in case my LiteOn 48X takes a dump. Yeah, I destroyed my first PS2 by attempting to mod it. I'm very good at soldering, but my first attempt at surface mount soldering was on my PS2...big mistake. Luckily I sold it on eBay for like $130 (in as-is condition of course). My dad works for the movie industry, so he has product placement connections with Sony, and was able to get me a replacement. Learned my lesson on that one...practice first!

  13.12.2004 20:18 #20

• daemonzx6

  my first CDRW was a 12X and it was a Philips. it died a few months ago after only about 3 years. but atleast I had a reason to get my Plextor which I love so very much!

  13.12.2004 20:30 #21

• djscoop

  my frist CD burner was a 4X no-name brand. Back then even the cheapos cost over $250. how times have changed...

  14.12.2004 09:38 #22

• diabolos

  Quote:Diabolos, proper spelling and grammar would increase the credibility of your posts.Dude that was unnecessary. You have no idea what your talking about. Go search my name and see how credible my posts are. Newbie!

  14.12.2004 15:58 #23

• diabolos

  For you punx777,
  
  Betamax vs VHS:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax
  
  enjoy,
  Ced

  14.12.2004 16:04 #24

• djscoop

  anybody got a pair of boxing gloves? lol

  14.12.2004 17:15 #25

• punx777

  thanks for the betamax artical..... while weer on the subject of burners, (i dont know if this was an hp brand burner or what) but in my hp pavilion, the factory dvd writer one day just stopped... i doubt i did over 100 burns... and the dvd-rom drive stopped working months before that, it made clicking sounds and when i pulled a disk out it nearly burnt my hand....
  
  but anyway.. im not quite a fan of sony, some of you are. lets just leave it at that.

  14.12.2004 18:04 #26

• djscoop

  well said. on that same note, I've never really been a fan of HP. Bought a printer from them once, died not even a month after the warranty expired. My Uncle has gone through several HP computers, and after inspecting their build quality and components, I'd never buy a HP product again.

  14.12.2004 18:24 #27

• daemonzx6

  And now since HP bought Compaq, they can make even worse computers using the Compaq method of getting the worst possible hardware and making it sound better. They don't care to mention that the hard drives will make awful grinding sounds, the disc drives will have flaky working periods, and the AGP slot has been ripped off the motherboard. That's how my brother's new Compaq is. And it came with an HP printer and, needless to say, it has stopped working for no reason at all; just started saying "the printer could not be found" after a week or two.

  14.12.2004 19:15 #28

• punx777

  okay heres what went wrong on my brand new hp pavilion 250gig 1gig ram ect....
  
  dvd-rom drive----shot
  dvd+rw writer--- dead
  17" flat screen moniter--- had thick black bar going through the center making it impossible to read.
  wireles keyboard- died one day
  
  thankfully all of this was replaced...(it took 9 months to recive my new keyboard thought, due to "backorder")
  and for the replacment dvd burner LOL.... a charge came up on our credit card for $216.... 216 USD FOR A FUCKING 6(or 8?)X SINGLE LAYER DVD BURNER... because they said we didnt sent the broken one back... which was bullshit(it turned out to be in like, pheonix or something) but that was replaced....
  
  well all in all, i must have spent about 8 hours with them on the phone, talking to at least 20 different people.
  
  yes, i wish i had bought a sony
  
  SUMMARY: dont by from hp

  14.12.2004 19:40 #29

• daemonzx6

  Lots of companies try to screw you by making the only way you can get what you were supposed to is by many hours of talking on the phone. I have had to do this with rebates all the time. The only Sony product I have right now is the PS2, and I have to say it has given me less trouble than other systems. I had to replace my Xbox DVD drive because the original wouldn't play anything right anymore, and Gamecube...I don't wanna get started. I plan on buying a Blu-Ray burner when they are available as well as a player, even if HD-DVD wins out.

  14.12.2004 19:52 #30

• djscoop

  Sony has a external Blu-Ray burner, I saw it in PC World magazine. It sells for over $2000, and the 25 GB discs are 50 bucks a pop. As bitchin' as I think blu-ray is, I think I'll wait until I don't have to max out my credit card just to get it.

  14.12.2004 20:10 #31

• daemonzx6

  Yeah I saw those stand alone recorders, but I meant a PC Blu-Ray burner, whenever they become available at a reasonable price, as well as the discs themselves.

  14.12.2004 20:18 #32

• djscoop

  no I mean a PC burner, I think it had both firewire and USB 2.0 interface.

  14.12.2004 20:30 #33

• djscoop

  found it!
  http://www.sonyburners.com/prodata/product_detail.php?ID=18075
  retails for $3295...holy smokes!

  14.12.2004 20:37 #34

• daemonzx6

  really? I hadn't seen that before. Atleast they have them developed now, but I guess I won't be getting one until they have some cheaper, preferably internal burners and the discs cost a lot less.
  This is reminding me of Dual Layer DVD...

  14.12.2004 20:40 #35

• daemonzx6

  why does it say "ProData"?

  14.12.2004 20:44 #36

• djscoop

  I guess thats what Sony is labeling their blu-ray burners as. There's an internal drive too. I don't like how it takes cartridges. Remember when CDROMS first came out and what a pain in the ass they were in those cartridges? I doubt those will last. I wonder if the stand alone burners have cartridges too, or just the discs.

  15.12.2004 08:17 #37

• daemonzx6

  yeah I can't stand the cartridges. Hopefully they will have newer burners not require cartridges...and be cheaper.

  15.12.2004 11:29 #38

• daemonzx6

  Hey, I noticed that they never actually say "Blu-Ray" but they do mention the blue laser technology. This seems like a data only preamble format for Blu-Ray. I bet the real Blu-Ray will have no cartridge.
  This made me laugh: Quote:Cost effective, about $2.00 per GBcost effective?
  speaking of expensive, I remembered our first VHS VCR, it was about $500 at the time.

  15.12.2004 11:48 #39

• djscoop

  yeah, thats weird its not called blu-ray, but it does have the blu-ray logo on the burner. Maybe the "pro disc" is a proprietary Sony format of blu-ray.

  15.12.2004 13:23 #40

• punx777

  well at least with cartriges you wont scratch the disk and ruin your data.... id pry prefer a cartrige....

  15.12.2004 13:26 #41

• daemonzx6

  that's probably what it is. Down at the bottom it has a logo that says "Professional Disc" and below it says "DATA", so I figured it was a data only format.

  15.12.2004 17:24 #42

• djscoop

  even so, I'm glad to see new formats coming on to the market. Sure, they're way out of our price range, but so were DVD burners a few years ago. I look forward to the day we can burn 25 to 50 GB disks as if they were nothing. Its insane how quickly technology really develops if you think about it. Perfect example: The apollo space shuttles, which carried men to the moon, had a whopping 70 KB of memory, which for its day was a massive amount of storage, and that was only 35 years ago. Imagine what the next 35 years will bring...

  15.12.2004 22:28 #43