"Blu-ray Disc" vs. "HD DVD": Neither Is Winning

[Tjalfe]

I don't remember compatability issues with CD and DVD when they started out, why do you think it will be an issue now?

[Jerry Jones]

In fact, if you're friends and most people you know in Canada don't have a PC or laptop, then I suspect they probably won't have a Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD player either.

Moreover, I would be willing to bet the compatibility issues would be greater with an optical disc than with a data file.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

I wonder if I can plug that flash drive into my friends home audio and video system where all the files can be recognized and played back instantly without any compatibility issues. Since all my relatives, friends and most people I know in Canada don't have a PC or Laptop sitting next to a 5-10k audio video home theater system, i think it renders your solution as useless.

[Elie]

Oh those thingies, is that what they are calling them now?

Hmmm let me see.... I wonder if I can plug that flash drive into my friends home audio and video system where all the files can be recognized and played back instantly without any compatibility issues. Since all my relatives, friends and most people I know in Canada don't have a PC or Laptop sitting next to a 5-10k audio video home theater system, i think it renders your solution as useless.

I'd rather take the disc, plug it into another blu-ray player and playback. which is easier???

PS: The copy protection of blu-ray is not a concern, I don't copy DVD's today and I don't need to copy blu-ray discs tomorrow. I have purchased music online and downloaded before, and this company only gives you access to those file simply to playback only if you are connected to the internet, and it gives you up to 5 times to burn to disc (CD), all i'm saying is due to these rights, I don't think you will be able to download a movie and use it willynilly without any kind of safe gaurds, say you do copy it to flash, then you take it to watch somewhere else with no access to the internet, what happens then? You may need an Internet connection to validate the licenses etc, before playback can occur.

This needs to be verified.

[Tjalfe]

indeed.. once you play your Blu-Ray disk at home, it will lock to your address, never allowing you to play it outside of your house

[Jerry Jones]

Elie,

1. Who told you Blu-ray Disc movies don't feature any copy protection?

2. Ever hear of a flash drive? You know... the kind that has already practically replaced the CD for individuals who wish to transport files.

Where I work, practically everybody has a flash drive on their key chain.

They almost never use CDs.

These flash drives can be purchased in virtually any store with an electronics department and they're getting bigger and faster and cheaper. There's no way optical discs can match the performance of modern flash memory.



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

Yeah, but I know I'll be going Blu-Ray all the way, not some downloaded content DRM'd to hell with all sorts of copy protection. Besides I don't want to hog my entire bandwidth to download movies, and then do what with them? where do I store the large files? what if I want to take a bunch of movies with me to a friends house to watch? Hmmmm, you see the limitations with downloaded content?

Anyway, downloading movies "legally" may not be for everyone, I still prefer media like DVD and now Blu-Ray.

[Elie]

Yeah, but I know I'll be going Blu-Ray all the way, not some downloaded content DRM'd to hell with all sorts of copy protection. Besides I don't want to hog my entire bandwidth to download movies, and then do what with them? where do I store the large files? what if I want to take a bunch of movies with me to a friends house to watch? Hmmmm, you see the limitations with downloaded content?

Anyway, downloading movies "legally" may not be for everyone, I still prefer media like DVD and now Blu-Ray.

[Hulk]

Can't argue with that.

I mean if the guy promoting the download service says it's great it must be.

Case closed.

[Jerry Jones]

From Reuters, more on the http://www.musicgiants.com high definition content game plan:

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS139445+09-Jan-2008+BW20080109

"We are very happy to be working with MusicGiants in bringing this revolutionary approach to content acquisition and storage to the 32 million HDTV households in the United States," said Pat King, SVP of Seagate Technology. "We think the trends that MusicGiants is experiencing at the high-end will quickly migrate to the mass market once people see how easy it is to acquire premium content delivered on hard drives or downloaded directly into a media server attached to their home entertainment system."

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Hulk]

Jerry in all seriousness I would love to do away with discs and have cheap easily obtainable video downloads but every time I check the links you provide I don't see it. For this last one you buy a hard drive that installs in their server. A preloaded hard drive?

Downloads "coming in 2008."

Thanks for posting the links though.

[Jerry Jones]

High definition audio and -- now in 2008 -- high definition ***movies*** via download or disk from VideoGiants:

http://www.musicgiants.com/VG_store.html

More HD downloads!

They just keep coming!



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

As I've suggested in this thread, there is only one scenario that I believe might give either of the high definition DVD formats a new lease on life.

This is a big *IF.*

IF Apple includes either a Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD player in the next version of Apple TV, then that would give that high definition optical disc format some new life.

I see there's speculation in the New York Times that Apple might announce "Blu-ray Disc" playback capability in the next version of Apple TV...

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/an-apple-tv-with-a-blu-ray-player/

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Evildead666]

I still think the next step is flash storgae, back to good old cartridges.

Reusable, very quick transfers, solid as a brick.

Your 'Rental Cartridge' will contain all your details for the rental business, and all the rentals you want (2-3 films per cartridge depending on average consumption).

Once the DVD's, or discs, have been used/scratched, they are binned.
Cartridges could be recycled quite easily.
Teh technology is known and proven.

[Nappe1]

the real sneaker was Philips. it has only once made mistake supporting one format and no one remembers that. (Video 2000, anyone?? They did realize early enough to kill it and go with VHS.) In these two cases, Philips was in both cases at the winning side: VHS and BluRay.

but not only being winning on these two, they have been part of inventing following systems:
- C-Casette
- CD (with Sony)
- DAT (with some IT company, can't recal who it was...)
and BluRay (with Sony and TDK)


while HD DVD and DVD is / was patentized by one single company (Toshiba that is, eventhough there was this DVD Forum collecting license feeds, mostly going to Toshiba and some movie companies.) BluRay patents are held by 17 different companies part in BluRay Association, why ppl still think BluRay being Sony format?

- if sony starts making annoying things to consumers, consumers will buy others' BluRay players. There is at least 6 different manufacturers to select. And Sony does not have more voting power than the other big three in association, so they can't just change specs that everyone else has approved already, so I can't see Sony as bad enemy to consumer as some ppl claim.)

[ND66]

Which last time?

That time:

The VHS format's defeat of the Betamax format became a classic marketing case study. Sony's attempt to dictate an industry standard backfired when JVC made the tactical decision to forgo Sony's offer of Betamax in favor of developing their own technology. They felt that it would end up like the U-Matic deal, with Sony dominating.

By 1980, JVC's VHS format controlled 70% of the North American market. The large economy of scale allowed VHS units to be introduced to the European market at a far lower cost than the more-rare Betamax units. In the UK, Betamax held a 25% market share in 1981, but by 1986 it was down to 7.5% and continued to decline further. By 1984, forty companies utilized the VHS format in comparison with Beta's twelve. Sony finally conceded defeat in 1988 when it too began producing VHS recorders.

In Japan, Betamax had more success and eventually evolved into Enhanced Definition Betamax with 500+ lines resolution (DVD quality), but eventually both Betamax and VHS were supplanted by laser-based technology. The last Sony Betamax was produced in 2002.

For more information on why Betamax lost to VHS, see The Videotape Format War.

[Claymonkey]

I'm sure Sony had good notes from last time on format war and why they lost.


.

Which last time?