It is the battle of VHS vs. Beta all over again. The big guns are starting to pick their sides in the next 'media revolution', that being the next form of media for us lucky consumers to buy.
That is correct, Dorothy, there is a new Standard coming out. The much touted BlueRay discs vs HD-DVD. The Playstation 3, one of hte most expected game consoles, is going with a Blue Ray format, which allows up to 50 Gigs of storage on the disc. Blue Ray has been expected to take the crown as the next winner, but as we saw with VHS and Beta, sometiems it's not how good it is, it is who your friends and supporters are.
The one worse thing that happened with Beta is that it wasn't backed as a winner. Beta, to almost everyone you talk to that KNOWS about tape technology will tell you that Beta was superior. But companies like Sony and the like chose to back VHS. SOmetimes it takes a slick salesman.
Now, Microsoft has decided to back the darkhorse, HD-DVD. When Microsoft and Intel, their pet processor company, announced that they would back HD-DVD, many asked why. Was it because Microsoft wouldn't support something backed by a competitor, especially one inb the gaming market that it is trying to become king of the hill in? no, that is silly. One of Microsoft's Compression codecs support HD-DVD and Blue Ray. It is also known that Microsoft and Sony have had a profitable life together as business partners with the Sony Viao line of computers.
So, why?
Making copies of media is currently illegal in the United States, and Microsoft wants to change that. HD-DVD is, so far, the only media that allows a user to make a legal copy of optical content. Currently, HD DVD is the only next-gen format to provide for the ability to legally make copies of optical content. Dubbed "Managed Copy," HD DVD implements part of the AACS control mechanism to allow for things such as putting digital copies of a disc on a hard drive, transferring a movie (legally) to a portable player, or streaming content on a home network. Furthermore, HD DVD makes Managed Copy mandatory: all content provided on HD DVD must give users the option of making at least one copy. Jordi Ribas, director of technical strategy for the Windows Digital Media Division, told me that while the feature is mandatory, the studios will have the option of charging for it. Ribas hopes that studios will allow at least a single copy "for free," but it may be market conditions that ultimately determine the cost of such features. The take-away, at least, is that studios have to offer something, and AACS is structured in such a way that the studios can tap into it to offer users more options.
Furthermore, because Managed Copy is part of the AACS specification, this isn't a feature exclusive to Microsoft or Intel solutions. While both companies believe that their respective products (Media Center Edition, and Viiv, respectively) will shine in a world were Managed Copy is available, AACS defines a set of requirements that technically any company could aspire to, be it Apple, Motorola, or another player in the game.
What about Blu-ray? Currently, Blu-ray has announced no such mandatory support. There are also plenty of questions about whether or not Blu-ray will entertain this option. The Blu-ray Disc Association so far has adopted AACS conditionally; it is still subject to review. Furthermore, Blu-ray to date has adopted content protections above and beyond AACS, adding BD+ and ROM-Mark to their arsenal. Such added protections appear to be part of an appeasement plan: the studios want more than AACS protection, at least least some of them do.
It is interesting from the point of view that Blue Ray, as the harbringer of technologies have stated since it was introduced, is considered the new standard before anyone else said anyone. Blu-Ray has much love and support in the market for it, and production is on the way for at home products using it. IT is also interesting to note that Blu-Ray can be used with the current processing technology and HD-DVD is more expensive to produce.
So, who will win? Whoever has the most influential friends, of course.