[LUconn]

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08 ... eport.html

Macs will support Blu-ray, but not HD-DVD. Not yet anyway. I think this is a little Microsoftianesque to kind of throw your weight around like that. I guess it's not totally like the whole internet browser thing but I can draw some parallels. One interesting thing I got out of this was:

He added that Disney, for which Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is a Director, is a firm supporter of Blu-ray, while rival Microsoft Corp. has placed most of its eggs in the HD-DVD basket.

It's funny that Xbox Live started up a new online movie rental feature and got the rights to all of the Disney movies, which I assumed was in a Higher Definition.

[flamesbball84]

there is already blu-ray/hddvd players out there that support both formats, and there apparently is going to be a lot more of them coming out. to ignore what could possibly be half the market seems silly to me. it would be like video game creators only making their game for the PS3 and completely ignoring the whole XBOX/Nintendo/Computer market where they could easily make money...

[El Scorcho]

To say that Microsoft has placed "most of it's eggs" in the proverbial HD-DVD basket is either ignorant or disingenuous. Microsoft's DRM is what powers the HD-DVD format. Microsoft and Toshiba are the two parties that stand to benefit the most from HD-DVD winning out over Blu-Ray. That's why Microsoft was one of the first companies to release an HD-DVD drive for under $200. (The drive for the Xbox 360, which works great as a Vista accessory btw.)

With Steve Jobs holding the majority stake in Disney, being CEO/Owner of Pixar and CEO of Apple, it's no surprise he's going with Blu-Ray for the Mac platform. In fact, he said some time ago that he'd go that direction. Disney is on board with Sony, so Jobs is on board with Blu-Ray. That's where he stands to make the most profit. I can't blame him for that.

[El Scorcho]

there is already blu-ray/hddvd players out there that support both formats, and there apparently is going to be a lot more of them coming out. to ignore what could possibly be half the market seems silly to me. it would be like video game creators only making their game for the PS3 and completely ignoring the whole XBOX/Nintendo/Computer market where they could easily make money...

Seems silly to you? Then why did Microsoft do it with the Xbox 360? Why did Sony do it with the PS3? It's the same thing. They're doing what stands to make them the most profit. Hardly silly.

[flamesbball84]

seems silly to me because of this: you can make more money by producing both. by ignoring one of the two formats you are losing out on a lot of money...

[El Scorcho]

I don't think you understand the background of the situation enough. Steve Jobs stands to make a lot more money from Blu-Ray succeeding than he does by supporting both formats. It's the same for Microsoft and HD-DVD. They're not both going to win, so to pick the side that stands to make them the most money makes more sense. It's not consumer-friendly, but from a business perspective it make more sense.

[ALUmnus]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080105/ap_ ... vd_formats

Ouch, now Time-Warner is Blu-ray exclusive. I think now all we have to wait for is to see if Walmart decides to back one over the other. Walmart could probably pull the plug on HD DVD's life support if it wanted to.

[El Scorcho]

Walmart could probably pull the plug on HD DVD's life support if it wanted to.

Not quite.

HD DVD Promotion Group Member List contains the main promoters of HD DVD: Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, Microsoft, RCA, Kenwood, Intel, Venturer Electronics and Memory-Tech Corporation.

In terms of major studios in North America, HD DVD is currently exclusively backed by Universal Studios (including subsidiaries Focus Features and Rogue Pictures), Paramount Pictures (including Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies, MTV Films, DreamWorks Pictures and DreamWorks Animation), and The Weinstein Company (including Dimension Films). Studios that support both formats include New Line Cinema, HBO, First Look Studios, Image Entertainment (including the Discovery Channel), Magnolia Pictures, Brentwood Home Video, Ryko,and Koch/Goldhil Entertainment.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD

Until Sony can convince Universal, Paramount, DreamWorks and The Weinstein Company to jump ship, HD-DVD isn't dead. Microsoft and Intel aren't bad players to have in your camp, either.

[El Scorcho]

I should also note that I know that "isn't dead" doesn't mean it stands any chance of succeeding. It's just not dead. I don't have a dog in the race and wish they'd just pick one already. The only reason I note that the format isn't dead is that, until it is, this silly business continues. Hopefully Toshiba and their partners will make the decision for the remaining studios easier by pulling the plug on the format. I just don't see it happening.

[phoenix]

seems silly to me because of this: you can make more money by producing both. by ignoring one of the two formats you are losing out on a lot of money...

How are you enjoying that Beta/VHS combo player?

Blu-Ray has something like 70% of the market now (according to the New York Times). People that are releasing HD-DVD are going to have to at least offer Blu-Ray as well as HD-DVD to compete.

Blu-Ray has larger storage capacity, too, which is why I prefer it to HD. Well, that and I work as a merchandiser for BVHE part-time, so that's what I work with.