FormatWars
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Revved up USB 3.0 carries 10 times the power of Thunderbolt
Wow. Those rockstars at the USB 3.0 promoter group haven't taken the threat of Thunderbolt lying down. They've been working long into the night (we imagine) screaming "More Power!" and "Liiiiive, damn you, liiiive!". In a press release, the group announces a new power delivery specification which will push USB 3.0's limit from 4.5 watts all the way up to 100. You all of course remember that Thunderbolt's maximum is a mere-by-comparison 10 watts. Brad Saunders, the promotion group's chairman, believes that the new standard could enable USB 3.0 to supply a laptop with energy at the same time as it delivers data between your devices. (After all that time sponging off your laptop's meager battery it's about time your USB-powered foot warmer started returning the favor.) At the moment it's only a specification and won't be implemented until 2012 at the earliest, but this could just turn into an arms race of electrifying proportions.
Google defends H.264 removal from Chrome, says WebM plug-ins coming to Safari and IE9
Google renewed a heated discussion when it said it was dropping H.264 support from Chrome's HTML5 video tag last week, but it seems the company's ready and willing to push its WebM alternative video format hard -- not only is hardware decoder IP now available for the VP8 codec, but the project team is presently readying WebM plug-ins for Safari and Internet Explorer 9, neither of which include it themselves. As to the little matter of whether any of this is the right move for the web at large, we'll paraphrase what Google had to say for itself: H.264 licenses cost money; Firefox and Opera don't support H.264 either; and big companies like Google are helping the little guy by championing this open alternative. We have to say, the eternal optimist in us is cheering them on. Oh, and the linguist in us, too. Read Google's own words at our source link, and decide for yourself.
Microsoft unloading remaining HD DVD add-ons for $50
Attention, people who collect obsolete technology -- here's the perfect chance to, um, add some obsolete technology to your collection! While Microsoft recently announced they're no longer producing HD DVD add-on drives for the Xbox 360, they are unloading their remaining supply at a bargain-basement price of $50, as a Microsoft spokesperson told Bloomberg.Sure enough, online retailers from Circuit City to Best Buy to Buy.com are listing the defunct accessory for 25 percent of it's original price. At that price, the remaining stock could go fast. Then again, with the prospect of more HD-DVD discs looking less than good, maybe $50 is still too expensive to unload.
It's official: HD DVD has officially died an official death
We were pretty certain when we first heard the rumors, and we were even more certain when other sources said an official announcement was coming. Now that the official announcement from Toshiba has officially happened, we're officially 100% sure that HD DVD is officially dead. Official!Well, maybe we should scale that back a little. Although lead company Toshiba has said they'll no longer make HD DVD players, they are reportedly stocking up on recordable HD DVD media for those who want to make their own discs (remember: BetaMax lasted for years as a professional recording format for broadcast outlets). And there's nothing preventing entertainment companies from continuing to put out HD DVDs if they want to. We don't know why they'd want to but hey. if people are still making Sega Genesis games, anything is possible.
Rumor: Xbox 360 Blu-ray player could be out by May
We've heard over and over and over how a Blu-ray movie player add-on for the Xbox 360 was a distinct possibility if the HD DVD format ended up losing out. Well, now that the Microsoft-supported format seems just one step away from dead, we're hearing rumblings of just how possible that Blu-ray player possibility is.Citing "insiders at Microsoft in the USA," Australia's Smarthouse says Microsoft's Blu-ray add-on is already fully designed, and could be on the market within three months, "subject to internal marketing and sales approvals." Smarthouse also repeated the rumors of a built-in high-def drive for the system, although now that rumored drive plays Blu-ray discs instead of an HD DVDs. Regardless, the tech site seems to think Microsoft will focus on digital movie downloads for those who don't want an add-on.As for Sony, they couldn't be happier that Microsoft is considering jumping over to the "winning" side of this HD disc battle. "We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable," SCE Managing Director Michael Ephraim told Smarthouse. "In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very successful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player." Hey, they just won a format war ... they can afford to be a little smug.[Via Megatonik]
Rumor: Blu ray add-on for 360 if format wins?
Over at Next Generation is an article discussing the possibility of a Blu-ray adapter coming to Xbox 360, should the format's success justify it. BBC News was told by Xbox UK head honcho Neil Thompson that whichever format wins, the Xbox 360 will more than likely provide a solution for it. He goes on to say that it's better to have the feature as an option for those who want access to it, rather than force the cost on the consumer. Jabs at the opposition aside, would you want a Blu-ray player for the 360 if HD DVD falls behind in terms of support?[Via QJ.net]
Stop the format wars! This disc is both Blu-ray and HD DVD!
Warner Bros has announced it will unveil a videodisc next week, dubbed Total HD, that plays in both HD DVD and Blu-ray drives. We've known about this decision since September, when the studio filed a patent for such a disc. (Though the patent mentions embedded DVD, this news report doesn't.)The ramifications of such a disc, if it's priced to compete, would render the format wars obsolete. If you're planning on buying a new-gen game console based on the HD disc it can play (and the PlayStation 3 is a bargain for a Blu-ray player), the adoption of Total HD discs would make the decision a tad easier (and more game-specific).Will the disc have the goods? We'll find out the full details next week at the Consumer Electronics Show."But that plays on Blu-ray, you can't stick it in there.""Watch me!""Oh ... Oh, my."[Via Firing Squad]
PS3 will not impact format wars, says Time Warner CEO
The fate of the Blu-ray will not have a big impact by the inclusion of a Blu-ray player in the PlayStation 3, according to Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons. Speaking to an investor conference in New York, Parson called the next-gen DVD format war "unfortunate," remarking that the competing formats -- Blu-ray and HD DVD -- drive costs down and confuse consumers.We don't mind a competition-spurred price reduction in our movies, but we're also hesitant to purchase a next-gen DVD in the event we pick the losing format. Parsons notes that people were more likely to use the PS3 for games -- but if we want to watch high-definition films, at least we know there's a Blu-ray player already in our entertainment center. If the PlayStation 3 becomes a success in hardware sales, might Parsons be underestimating its impact?Time Warner is a media conglomerate that owns Warner Bros., Turner, NewLine, HBO and AOL, our parent company. Warner Bros. currently releases films in both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Sony's decision to put a Blu-ray player in the PS3 has been frequently called a "trojan horse" move to drive sales of Blu-ray discs.[Via Game|Life]
Newsweek: Blu-ray the movie winner
On his Newsweek blog, N'gai Croal explores the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies in relation to gamers. While the Xbox 360 can play HD-DVD with its add-on drive, Croal says that's a non-starter because those sorts of console add-ons rarely sell to more than 10 percent of the base. Because of more studio -- and electronic company -- support for Blu-ray, and the PS3 pushing that format into homes, Croal names Blu-ray as the winner.We go with his reasoning to a point, but we're not ready to call the race for Blu-ray. Instead, we're voting for none of the above; the market may adopt HD downloads before it embraces a new disc format.HD downloads will gobble up bandwidth, but the Xbox 360 will soon sell HD movies and TV shows. Consumers without 360s will need a way to play HD shows on a TV; the real format war may be between the Xbox 360 download service and yet-to-be-announced stand-alone boxes that only download HD movies.
Samsung announces BD-P1000 release for Europe
Much like Pioneer, Samsung is still bumming us out by not whipping up a combo Blu-ray and HD DVD player. But good ol' Sammy is announcing its first Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, to be released in Europe in October 2006, with price estimates reaching €1,400. It's due to go head-to-head with Toshiba's HD-E1 and HD-XE1, which ares due to come out the following month. Guys, can't we bury this hatchet already and just settle this war? It's obvious that building a hybrid player is entirely possible, and to motivate you to get on it we're officially going to sulk and go on hunger strike. Go on, try us.
Pioneer says new BDR-103 drive will not be combo
Despite our earlier report that Pioneer's upcoming BDR-103 would be a combo drive, supporting both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, it appears that Pioneer will join the legions of soulless hardware makers that will not be supporting both formats. Our sister blog, HDBeat, reports that those quotes from Pioneer officials were taken out of context and that the company has "no current plans" to make the BDR-103 a combo drive. Why can't everyone just be like Ricoh and all get along?[Via HDBeat]
EU investigating HD DVD, Blu-ray licensing terms
Both high definition optical disc formats have already seen their share of setbacks in the form of delays and hardware problems, and now they may be facing some nasty anti-trust allegations pending the results of a recently-launched EU probe. Having already flexed its authoritative muscle against Microsoft, the European Commission has now moved on to investigating the terms that the major backers of Blu-ray and HD DVD are exerting upon their respective licensees. Since the investigation is still "unofficial" at this point, the Commission refused to specify the particular companies being probed, although Sony publicly confirmed that it has received one of the letters in question and that it's cooperating with regulators. If these same regulators decide that nothing fishy is going on, then the matter will be dropped; but if they're displeased with the responses they get, a full anti-trust probe is likely. Best case scenario: only one of the camps ends up being subjected to further scrutiny, leaving the other as clear-cut victor in the format war and saving us all the hassle of choosing sides.
Blue Laser Wars Cont.
Following up on their useful examination of HD-DVD, TeamXbox has published an easy-to-understand run-down of the facts concerning Sony's Blu-Ray (aka Beta-Ray) format. They're even kind enough to summarize their own article: Blu-ray Disc has a higher storage capacity per layer than HD DVD. Blu-ray Disc has a higher transfer rate and recording speed that HD DVD as the result of using a higher value of NA. At 10,000 rpm rotation speed results in a 12X Blu-ray Disc drive while that is equal to 9X HD DVD. Therefore, HD DVD is required to rotate at higher speeds to reach the same transfer rates of Blu-ray Disc. Blu-ray Disc media has a different internal structure than HD DVD and DVD. Thickness is the same for the discs, but different for the layers inside. As a result, hybrid discs are easier to develop on Blu-ray Disc because of the format’s 0.1mm thickness for the data layer. A single side Blu-ray Disc could incorporate a dual layer DVD-9 (8.5GB) disc, but in the case of HD DVD, that requires a double side disc. HD DVD media is less expensive to manufacture than Blu-ray Disc because it doesn’t require significant changes to existing production lines. However many gigs your rearview mirror ornament of choice ends up packing, I tend to agree with Mr. Gate's that this latest format war is a loser's game. The future has to lie somewhere beyond getting off the couch to change discs. It's too much like switching channels without a remote.[previously: HD-DVD vs. Beta-Ray]
HD-DVD vs. Beta-Ray
The MS fans at GamerScore are so confident in the success of HD-DVD they're calling Blu-ray "Beta-Ray": "Price. One company out there has a $1,800 Beta-ray player (no release date) – one that doesn’t even play CDs! For 1,800, you could get a $500 Toshiba player, and about 40 HD movies. Industry support: Looks like the pendulum is swinging back in HD-DVD’s favor. As an analyst quoted in the article says: “It's only a matter of time before people start backing out of the Blu-ray camp." If that’s the case, it might be because of. . . Beta-ray’s own difficulties: Microsoft had serious doubts around the technical feasibility and pricing of Beta-ray for some time and our fears now seem well founded. Sony is hinting PS3 will be delayed because of Beta-ray, and that’s with Sony driving the Beta-ray standards. If even Sony can’t get it to work right, it raises lots of questions. A little reported fact (and one that the New York Times was confused about) is that the first Beta-ray discs will actually hold less: only 25GB compared to HD DVD’s 30GB. That means less room for high definition extras and interactive features, which HD DVD says they fully intend to support." Readers are picking apart this piece, so I wouldn't start busting out the Beta-rays to your Sony fanboy friends just yet, although it does have a nice ring. Of course, last week we learned that Microsoft secretly wants HD-DVD to tank just so they can drag down both formats.
