AfterDawn: News

Next generation DVD formats rally support

The next generation DVD formats that are battling to replace the current DVD technology, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are rallying their support. At the Consumer Electronics Show both formats made announcements of new partners. Both formats can store much higher capacity than the current DVD technology, although Blu-Ray can hold about 20GB more than HD DVD which can hold a capacity of about 30GB. The Blu Ray disc association introduced major game companies Vivendi Universal and Electronics Arts and tech companies including Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments as the newest group members. Executive from the gaming publishers noted that the high storage capacity of Blu-ray Disc was important for them as they look to high-definition game development.

"Gaming is a multibillion dollar business that is largely being ignored by HD DVD," said Richard Doherty, director of professional AV for Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory. Blu-ray Disc supporters plan to include interactive features and gaming capabilities to discs that hold high definition movies. Blu Ray recorders and discs are expected to appear in 2006. Companies in support of this format include Sony, Hewlett-Packard and Dell. On the HD-DVD side, there's Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo. HD-DVD entertainment partners stood up to support the HD DVD format Thursday and announced movie and TV series titles that would be available on HD DVD discs by the end of the year. Paramount Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, HBO and New Line Cinema said that about 100 titles, including the Harry Potter movies, the Batman, Superman, E.R., West Wing and Sopranos franchises, would be available on HD DVD discs.



"The real world benefits (of HD DVD) are apparent and obvious," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video. HD-DVD uses similar technology used in the current DVD which can reduce time and cost of manufacturing discs and recorders.

Source:
News.com

Written by: James Delahunty @ 6 Jan 2005 23:06

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• 32 comments

• MXGzX

  HD-DVD uses similar technology used in the current DVD which can reduce time, storage capacity, and cost of manufacturing discs and recorders.

  7.1.2005 01:56 #1

• lcarbutt

  I think im going to buy blu-ray stuff.

  7.1.2005 05:29 #2

• GrayArea

  VHS vs. BETAMAX anyone? BAD deja vu. This is about pure greed and pig-headedness. And don't think that the "best" technology will automatically win. Sony's Betamax was technically superior to VHS but VHS won the popularity contest with consumers. This format war will leave a lot of people holding the bag before it's over. It's just a mean spirited power grab by both sides and we'll end up paying the price. IMHO consumers should boycott ALL this "nextgen" DVD tech until the suppliers can pull their heads out of their collective A$$ and agree on a standard. Like that will ever happen.

  7.1.2005 09:53 #3

• djscoop

  Sony and blu-ray all the way!

  7.1.2005 10:41 #4

• brother

  just like -R and +R dvd bull shit

  7.1.2005 10:54 #5

• djscoop

  yeah, you'd think we should at least finish one battle between -R and +R, before we start another one.

  7.1.2005 11:06 #6

• GrayArea

  How many people decided NOT to buy DVD burners so far because they were confused or waiting for a defacto "standard" to emerge. DVD-R and +R techlologys will both become obsolete and still be draging those two different formats around (and they will have lost lots of potential customers who would not buy because of it). Stupidity repeats itself...

  7.1.2005 11:55 #7

• djscoop

  I bought my pioneer dvd-r burner before the +r ones were as popular as the -r, so I've stuck with those.

  7.1.2005 12:05 #8

• punx777

  im sure hd-dvd will win because of the same reasons mxgzx said....
  
  i hate blu-rays cartriges.
  
  now, would an old cd or dvd work in a blu-ray machine? it better or no body will buy it...
  
  how long til they start puttin movies on these and sellin em..
  this baby looks huge!!!! i hope it gets smaller too!
  
  
  the 2nds suppose to be a hd-dvd player.. looks much better :)

  7.1.2005 13:50 #9

• djscoop

  blu-ray is way better. And think about when dvd first came out. Those players were just as big as that! And just as expensive. I'm willing to bet that when blu-ray goes mainstream, they will lose the cartidge, and develop a scratch-resistant coating.

  7.1.2005 14:11 #10

• lcarbutt

  Whats that disc in devolpment that can store something like 80GB? I saw it on afterdawn news a few months ago, anyone remember?

  7.1.2005 14:47 #11

• daemonzx6

  I'm suprised Sony hasn't got TDK onboard. Wasn't it TDK's scratch resistant coating that withstood the screwdrver and a sharpie?

  7.1.2005 15:53 #12

• brother

  my dads Monte Carlo has a 8 track player that looks alot like the blu-ray machine

  7.1.2005 15:54 #13

• daemonzx6

  It is about the same size, isn't it? The only reason they are so big is because of their reliance on cartridges for protection at the moment. Like I said, hopefully they'll get TDK's support and the protective coating.

  7.1.2005 18:32 #14

• Ludikhris

  Im not sure who I am behind yet. I am kinda leaning on Blueray but they will have to make hybrid players to play blue rays and DVDs, HD DVD will be hybrid in nature so if the market goes that way it will be cheaper. It will end up breaking down like this.
  
  Blue ray will look a little better or have a few extra little things on the disc such as game demos you can play, more so than an HD DVD disc. However because it is purely new technology it carries a higher premium on the dollar sign of it. Also blueray does not play DVDs as backwards compatible, therefore they will need a separate laser installed in order to play them, which I only assume they will do seeing as how the technology turned over so fast.
  
  HD DVD will be slightly less in the quality and content but will be much superior to current DVDs. It will be enough for consumers to probably welcome the change to at least this point.
  
  So the question will be left up to the consumers. Is the amount of quality/content on Blue Ray discs worth the extra dollars that must be spent on them? Well have to see when the first few come out.

  7.1.2005 22:30 #15

• ozzy1

  TDK have already started on scratch resistand blueray discs read this http://www.theregister.com/2005/01/07/tdk_durabis/

  8.1.2005 01:55 #16

• cmmnsense

  All in support of HD-DVD are looking at $$. Sony has the support of the larger/higher end companies(especially DELL). 10GB is not much of a step up from dual layer DVD burning. Blu-ray is like a micro-hard drive. I'm Blu-ray all the way because the larger and higher quality companies have chosen to side with Sony. Toshiba? Sanyo? I haven't even heard of NEC. HD-DVD does have the advantage that movie corporations. I've already seen blu-ray discs that don't require the shell and a bunch of decent concept players. The players will always get smaller just like CD and DVD players and everything else. HD-DVD is 2GB larger than what we have, it's just a cost effective way to get people buying a new movie player, then Blu-ray will take over and you'll be screwed and pissed like the laser disc purchasers.

  8.1.2005 05:05 #17

• ozzy1

  nec are a huge manafacture of elecrical goods my dvd burner is an nec they are very popular.

  8.1.2005 05:20 #18

• punx777

  they better solve this quick... because im not buying a blu-ray player just so i can watch a disney film.... (vv)

  8.1.2005 06:52 #19

• nonoitall

  Then again it could end up like the -R vs +R where no one (yet) has really won and we end up with a bunch of players that can support both. Of course, if Blu-Ray sticks with carts that might complicate matters. Honestly, whichever one becomes mainstream will be vastly superior to DVD. And let's face it, most people are still satisfied with VHS. There comes a point where two options are both so superior that they're both overkill and it doesn't matter which gains acceptance. I don't think we're quite there yet, but this is pretty close, and for anyone besides BIG movie buffs, the difference will probably be completely transparent.

  8.1.2005 08:52 #20

• punx777

  hey i agree with you.... when it comes to movies.. but im sure we'll notice a big difference in gaming
  
  i recently decided..... if ps3 supports blu-ray, and xbox2 supports hd-dvd, i will support whichever comes up with an easier way to copy games

  8.1.2005 10:32 #21

• daemonzx6

  I hadn't seen that Register article, good work. I wasn't aware that there was a competition between +R and -R DVDs. The only difference is that -R is playable more often than +R, but the new players really eliminate that difference. This time there are significant differences in the two formats, and there will be real competition, and there will be a winner.

  8.1.2005 11:10 #22

• punx777

  yeah i hate the whole + - thing..... i was pissed off when i first got my dvd burner, because we had bought a stack of dvds on sale and couldnt use em cause my burner was a + r...

  8.1.2005 19:54 #23

• Pop_Smith

  I like the idea of a HD-DVD, DVD+/-R(W) DL and Blu-Ray in one burner. LOL that would be awesome, although very unlikely to happen :(.
  
  In the +R vs -R debate, they ended up making a double format (plus and minus) burner, then they developed -R DL disks. I am sitting this war out till the media becomes cheap enough to buy (DL disks aren't even cheap enough yet!! lol).
  
  P.S. Read about -R DL disks and the development of a DVD burner that can burn DL disks in 15 minutes here: Quote:From Jan 6th on http://www.Doom9.org
  
  With CES coming closer, we'll see many new and exciting gadgets. For instance, Pioneer's A09 burner writes DVD±R DL discs at 6x, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x and DVD±R at the usual 16x. Now if only dual layer disc prices came down to acceptable levels.. Also, from the 7th of January at http://www.Doom9.orgQuote:Burn a dual layer DVD in 15 minutes? It will happen in Q3 when 8x drives and media will be available. Disc manufacturers like Verbatim are already gearing up to ship samples to recorder manufacturers,

  9.1.2005 17:02 #24

• trevk

  Has any one read this Artical in Popular Science.
  
  Should we be concerned?
  
  http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,20967,1006968,00.html

  10.1.2005 04:23 #25

• Ludikhris

  I wouldnt be concerned at all. Fact of it is, there will be large demand for burning capabilities of who comes out on top. And no matter what Steve Jobs says or any exec tries to do there will always be a scene up ready to release the hardware and software necessary to backup movies. It may be impossible at first, but people will figure it out again.
  Ludikhrs

  10.1.2005 06:17 #26

• SGSeries2

  (LP) The other fact is, the larger the disc, the higher the quality of media you can squeeze out of it. People that pay for the content get to set the rules. That means people have to think smart. That reminds me of MIB.
  
  Changing your manufacturing for new blu-ray discs is a one-time deal for movie producers. For better media and how long the next-gen media'll be around, it's worth a little down-payment. Don't be stingy.
  
  What I'm really afraid of is the fact that blu-ray's not coming out 'til next year. It now all depends on if hd-dvd really gets a strong start this year. I know it takes time to really get into the market though. It's the first class of people that buy them I'm worried about. If it's going to be a higher-end market for hd-dvd it's first year out, blu-ray may have more of a fighting chance, since they have a tendancy to think a little more about long-term investments, but I don't think Sanyo has ever really been much into the high-end market. Either way, blu-ray'll have to be at the same place hd-dvd will be next year after they launch if they want a fighting chance.
  
  I think cartridges are cooler than straight dvds. I won't even talk about how bad it got once my kid step-brother got an xbox for christmas; his games couldn't even load a month or two later. I never even got a chance to play the games, but that tdk stuff sounds quite nice though.
  
  Maybe if blu-ray players can play hd-dvd discs too, and have equal/cheaper media on the market, they can drive it home that blu-ray is more qualified. I bet whoever sells hd-dvds won't even mention blu-ray until it comes out next year unless they support blu-ray. Let the people know, and then let them decide.
  
  Laser discs just didn't work because they were so freakin' huge. Aliens will one day laugh at the "chosen standards" we've made. What a funny race. :)

  10.1.2005 08:04 #27

• cancalosi

  This sucks will the new players for these two new formats be able to play the current DVD Disks because I have a lot of DVD's and I have backup alot of DVD's.
  So I have alot of money tyed up in my DVD's and Backup Software.So

  11.1.2005 08:56 #28

• cmmnsense

  Everybody just go for Blu-Ray (30GB wtf more do u want), let HD DVD burn in hell and we won't have that stupid DVD+R V. DVD-R thing all over again. I predict we'll get screwed out of alot of money and in the end blu-ray will be primary. Let's skip that part this time and go straight for the one that's better in more ways and not one vague corporate 'quality and $$' explanation, I wonder who's pocketbook they're thinking of, theirs or ours? Blu-Ray+Sony=less people screwed. I'm sick of multiple media types, one of the two has to disappear, because this will only be worse than + V. - R

  11.1.2005 18:24 #29

• punx777

  what exactly do you meen by " + r v" and "+ V" ?

  12.1.2005 05:21 #30

• SGSeries2

  means versus (=V.)
  +R (versus) -R
  + (versus) -

  12.1.2005 07:46 #31

• tcfreeman

  Blu-Ray seems to be the superior technology and should probably win this so-called war. This reminds of a very old battle, before DVDs, between beta and VHS. I'm barely old enough to remember beta tapes but as you can now see they no longer exist. The technology didn't stick. Now we're so far beyond those days but we're back to yet another medium battle, Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD. Unfortunately, it seems that movie studios in Hollywood are split on the issue and the only losers will be us consumers.

  16.3.2005 18:13 #32