Just a few weeks ago, both Sony and Toshiba have agreed that the chances for a unified next generation HD disc standard was going to be very slim. This was the result of Toshiba's refusal to take on Blu-ray's disc structure. Now, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) president Ken Kutaragi confirms that the negotiations have finally come to an end.
As the company behind each side is determined to make their format hit the market, this means that consumers will be faced with a choice between Blu-ray and HD DVD once they launch later this year, much like the days of VHS vs. Betamax. The main reason Sony tried negotiating with Toshiba for a unified format was to avoid another format war like the early days of VCR as well as limit HD DVD's content availability lead.
At the current stage, the HD DVD specification is complete. Blu-ray on the other hand have a few finalisations to be made by the Blu-ray disc camp, such as completing the copy-protection system. As Toshiba refused to take on Blu-ray's disc structure, Sony had also decided not to take on HD DVD's structure either. Thanks to GristyMcFisty for submitting the following news via our news submit:
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Talks between the BD-backing Sony and HD DVD cheerleader Toshiba have ended, he said, in an interview with Nikkei Electronics. Surprise, surprise. Comments from both parties during the period of the negotiations implied there was little chance of a compromise. To do so would require either party to abandon their preferred format. Supporters of each format have, in the past, made it clear that physically the two formats are incompatible. The only way around the problem was to adopt one format's physical structure and add support for the other's data structure. Sony had the edge here. Since BD is more capacious than HD DVD, with a more complex data structure, there was inevitably more scope to add HD DVD data compatibility to the BD spec than vice versa. |
It will be nice to see a bit of competition between both formats once the launch, much like the days of VHS and Betamax, assuming one format does not end up being phased out too quickly. Otherwise, people will be forced to purchase from the other side much like those who had a Betamax VCR when they phased out. It will be interesting to see if the movie industry will be happy to release movies in both formats, especially since there are some reluctant to offer movies in both formats.
Feel free to discuss about the upcoming HD disc formats in our Satellite, HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum.
Source: The Register - Peripherals
