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HP Asks For Blu-Ray Change in Next-Gen DVD Battle

Daniel Fleshbourne   on 20 October 2005 - 10:20 · 13 comments & 4386 views

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Hewlett-Packard Co. on Wednesday raised the stakes in a battle between high-definition DVD formats by urging a group led by Sony Corp. to include features important to PC makers and users. Palo Alto, Calif-based HP has long backed Sony's Blu-ray but last month Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. endorsed a competing high-definition DVD format known as HD-DVD, which is backed by Toshiba Corp. That prompted HP to make its move on Wednesday.

"We're still supporting Blu-ray but we're very serious that we want these technologies. If in the end, they're supported in one and then not the other, we'll have to make a choice," said Maureen Weber, general manager of personal storage in HP's personal systems group. Blu-ray and HD-DVD were not available for comment.

The world's No. 2 computer maker asked the makers of Blu-ray to include two technologies in its specifications now supported by HD-DVD. One is known as mandatory managed copy, allowing users to copy high-definition movies onto PCs from discs and distribute them on home networks. HP also asked Blu-ray to support a feature called iHD, which provides for new interactive features and is slated to be implemented in Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system.

View: The full story
News source: eWeek


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Post a comment · Send to friend Comments · There are 13 additional comments
#1 AminoSC on 20 Oct 2005 - 10:42
Bill Gates bi*ched first! Gates is a rockstar.
(1 reply) #2 Hitman2000 on 20 Oct 2005 - 11:40
Basically HP are sitting on the fence and now want to make MS happy aswell. Another strike for Bluray.
#2.1 dp123 on 20 Oct 2005 - 19:00
Umm, HP isn't sitting on the fence. They came out and rebutted Microsoft. And then, clearly, got an angry phone call.

What strickes does BR have against it yet? A silly press release that any rational person did not beleive from Microsoft? Sorry, that was a wild pitch on MS's part... not even clsoe to the strike zone.
#3 emel on 20 Oct 2005 - 12:11
Bill siad if blue-ray supports this two features then it would be "good enough"..
(1 reply) #4 Sir Gawain on 20 Oct 2005 - 13:27
Mandatory managed copy sounds like the opposite of DVD copy protection. I don't see Sony(and the rest of the Blu-Ray group) agreeing to this unless they are planning to add tons of DRM-level security.
#4.1 panacea on 20 Oct 2005 - 14:25
exactly. might not be to easy.

well the future will show.

btw, that happened to dvd-audio and sacd? they still both sold in stores side by side?
#5 el__sid on 20 Oct 2005 - 13:39
HD-DVD gets another bonus, Blu-Ray need to start flexing to demand a little
(1 reply) #6 IGx89 on 20 Oct 2005 - 14:03
Good for HP; hope Sony concedes
#6.1 Stef Nighthawk on 20 Oct 2005 - 21:48
Why would it be good for HP?
What if they don't concede, will HP just throw away the money already invested in Blu-ray?

I have looked at several articles about this thing, but never read anything about an HP official stating the reason behind this move and why it would be bad not to include mandatory managed copy and iHD.
The articles are all so vague and look almost like complete rumors.
#7 SlimShady on 20 Oct 2005 - 16:09
QUOTE
Blu-ray and HD-DVD were not available for comment.

LMAO
#8 Stef Nighthawk on 20 Oct 2005 - 21:31
iHD?
Whats wrong with Blu-ray Java? Don't tell me Blu-ray Java cannot be implemented on Windows Vista, that's just bullocks.
That's like saying SUN Java cannot be implemented on Windows Vista.

I thought Blu-ray also uses DRM on their content. Managed Copy is also available for Blu-ray, the only difference is that it will not be 'mandatory'. Meaning it's up to the studios to allow the content to be shared on a home network. And knowing the studios, they would rather leave it 'Managed Copy' out of their content.
They don't know why anyone would require the content to be shared on any network. Most people aren't that lazy to take a BD-box, take out the disc and insert it into the player each time they want to view it.
Media Centers are only and will be only for enthousiasts, which is a small market to sell movies to.

I wonder what HP really is afraid of. MS and Intel aren't really big players in the next-gen DVD format war Blu-ray is already winning.

Last edited by 66312 on 20 Oct 2005 - 21:43
#9 d0tn3t on 20 Oct 2005 - 22:43
They must have realised "Hey! Don't we sell media centre PCs, that will benefit from the features of HD-DVD?"
#10 eilegz on 21 Oct 2005 - 01:32
i think that blu ray its winning but hp asking for sony to change its format a little to make it more like hd-dvd its sorta like a downgrade if im sony i would not accept it.

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