Two More Aces for HD DVD: Intel and Microsoft
Microsoft and Intel have gone public with their decision to join
the HD DVD Supporters. Why this sudden change of stance after
months of neutrality in this battle? How have they become from
technology providers for both groups, sustainers of the HD DVD
format?
The format of the next-generation of DVDs has started a long
battle (some three years ago) between Toshiba and Sony, the key
supporters in the HD DVD
Promotion Group and Blu-ra
y Disc Association.
Leaving aside rivalries between the recent HD DVD sustainers and
some of the members of the Blu-ray Disc Association, let us see
how the technical part influenced this decision. The two giants
have reportedly decided to back up the variant that is the most
performant according to their criteria, from the point of view
of consumer and industry requirements. And this is what Stephen
Balogh, director of optical media standards and technologies at
Intel declared: "We wanted to choose the format that has the
highest probability of this market taking off".
Let us briefly review the main reference areas for performance
analysis of optical format for high definition cited by
Microsoft and Intel, and which are considered to be best
represented by what HD DVD delivers:
Managed copy, a first for DVDs - the consumer is allowed
to make copies of discs to a hard drive or home server.
Support for hybrid discs - a single disc can store both
high-definition and standard-definition versions of a film, that
can be read in both current DVDs and future players.
Low-cost, high-volume manufacturing.
Superior disc storage capacity.
Higher interactivity standards - enhanced content,
navigation and value-added functionality for high-definition
films.
Naturally, the ideal situation (for consumers' best interest)
would be unifying the two formats. There were some brief talks
on this between Sony and Toshiba earlier this year, but no
outcome unfortunately.
Though the players for both formats will not be issued until
spring next year, the rivalry between the two groups of
supporting companies sharpens. Now, HD DVD sustainers have won a
battle by getting as allies the world's largest software maker
and the world's largest microchip maker, but the war is far from
being over. Probably, as it normally should happen, the winners
of this "war" will be designated in the end by the consumer.
That is, may the best disc win!