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http://www.dvdtalk.com/ourweek/

I don't know how MS could beat Sony in this format war. The last I check MS
is not a manufacturer and Sony has the backing of Pannasonic, Samsung,
Phillips, Pioneer, Hitachi, Sharp and Mitsubishi. Maybe MS could team up
with the likes of Apex but that's about it. Moreover, MS doens't own any
catalogue like Sony does. The last thing we need is a half baked product
like red laser HD that merely improves the picture quality by improves on
the compression scheme.

"Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote in message
news:Lx2La.2243$...

> I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
> Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how much
> does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds of wars.

MS probably has a bigger chest but that didn't win them the console war
against Sony's PS2. I just don't understand what's the significance of
backward compatibility in this case. DVD players are selling for less than
$100 these days and in 5 years, they are going for $60 at most. If the
manufacturers want, they can build a twin laser HD DVD player at very little
extra cost.

"Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote...
>
> I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
> Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how much
> does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds of wars.
>

I can't see the DVD Forum ever choosing the Microsoft option. Isn't WM9
a proprietary format? So every DVD made would include a royalty to
Microsoft, unless they are giving it away for free. I don't think any of
the
manufacturers or hollywood wood ever sell their soul to Microsoft like that.

"Joe Thousandaire" <> wrote in
news::

> "Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote...
>>
>> I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
>> Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how
>> much does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds
>> of wars.
>>
>
> I can't see the DVD Forum ever choosing the Microsoft option. Isn't
> WM9 a proprietary format? So every DVD made would include a royalty to
> Microsoft, unless they are giving it away for free. I don't think any
> of the
> manufacturers or hollywood wood ever sell their soul to Microsoft like
> that.

WHy not, they seem to have convinced the general public to...

Trevor S

Goldfinger wrote:
> "Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote in message
> news:Lx2La.2243$...
>
>
>>I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
>>Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how much
>>does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds of wars.
>
>
> MS probably has a bigger chest but that didn't win them the console war
> against Sony's PS2. I just don't understand what's the significance of
> backward compatibility in this case. DVD players are selling for less than
> $100 these days and in 5 years, they are going for $60 at most. If the
> manufacturers want, they can build a twin laser HD DVD player at very little
> extra cost.
>
>
>

It's not backwards compatibility, which blue laser could provide against
red laser DVDs, it's that current manufacturing methods as well as
current lasers could be used. Toshiba's blue laser format also uses
current manufacturing methods yet does not use existing red lasers. The
2002 market price for a blue laser diode was around $1,000 (don't know
how much that's changed since Sony released their blue-laser recorder).
Of course there aren't many makers to choose from, and you know the
old supply and demand rule. Once they actually start making the things
the price will go down.

--
"It is dark, you are likely to be eaten by a grue."
--Zork

Grand Inquisitor
http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollection.asp?alias=Oost

Joe Thousandaire wrote:
> "Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote...
>
>>I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
>>Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how much
>>does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds of wars.
>>
>
>
> I can't see the DVD Forum ever choosing the Microsoft option. Isn't WM9
> a proprietary format? So every DVD made would include a royalty to
> Microsoft, unless they are giving it away for free. I don't think any of
> the
> manufacturers or hollywood wood ever sell their soul to Microsoft like that.
>
>
>

I believe the term "DVD Video" is proprietary to Warner Bros., and
besides for each DVD device ten or twenty dollars goes to the DVD
consortium made of all the manufacturers, so it really isn't anything
new. Of course, Microsoft isn't interested in small royalties. They'll
leave the contract open so they can up the ante if it's successful.
You're talking about a company that sells a multi-user OS and then
charges through the nose for each client user, total rip-off and
possibly illegal.

--
"It is dark, you are likely to be eaten by a grue."
--Zork

Grand Inquisitor
http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollection.asp?alias=Oost

Jay G wrote:
> "Goldfinger" <> wrote ...
>
>>http://www.dvdtalk.com/ourweek/
>
>
> What's odd is that the war for an HD-DVD format
> seems more about the battle between X-Box
> and PS3.
>
> -Jay
>
>

Oh, I doubt it. I'm hoping Sony's format will win though. I prefer
Toshiba as a brand over Sony, but Sony's format holds about ten gigs
more, meaning better picture quality.

--
"It is dark, you are likely to be eaten by a grue."
--Zork

Grand Inquisitor
http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollection.asp?alias=Oost

fGrand Inquisitor <> wrote:

> Joe Thousandaire wrote:
> > "Grand Inquisitor" <> wrote...
> >
> >>I agree, I want Blue Laser to win. I see no reason why it can't, but
> >>Microsoft has lots of money (Sony has $40 billion in the bank, how much
> >>does Microsoft have?), and money can help you to win these kinds of wars.
> >>
> > I can't see the DVD Forum ever choosing the Microsoft option. Isn't WM9
> > a proprietary format? So every DVD made would include a royalty to
> > Microsoft, unless they are giving it away for free. I don't think any of
> > the
> > manufacturers or hollywood wood ever sell their soul to Microsoft like that.
> >
> I believe the term "DVD Video" is proprietary to Warner Bros., and
> besides for each DVD device ten or twenty dollars goes to the DVD
> consortium made of all the manufacturers, so it really isn't anything
> new. Of course, Microsoft isn't interested in small royalties. They'll
> leave the contract open so they can up the ante if it's successful.
> You're talking about a company that sells a multi-user OS and then
> charges through the nose for each client user, total rip-off and
> possibly illegal.

The Monopoly can pretty much get away with just about anything it wants
to these days. Expect it to do the same in the HD DVD realm. And the
many other realms it seems hellbent on Borg-ing its way through as well.

In article <1fx84bn.i0p2fg1yv3rw6N%>, Frank
Malczewski <> wrote:

> The Monopoly can pretty much get away with just about anything it wants
> to these days. Expect it to do the same in the HD DVD realm. And the
> many other realms it seems hellbent on Borg-ing its way through as well.

Yeah, I gotta admit that T2 ExtremeDVD scares the hell outta me.

<shudder>

In article <oe5La.3948$>, Grand Inquisitor
<> wrote:

> Microsoft by no means has a monopoly on anything. They have the
> majority market share, which they ruthlessly protect, but they do not
> have a monopoly. Look at Sun, SGI, Linux, BSD, Apple, etc.

Sure, and the U.S. Justice Department are just a bunch of whining
sissies.