Suhit Gupta
09-01-2004, 09:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1641558,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1641558,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The Blu-Ray Disc Association said Tuesday that it will require Microsoft's VC-1 video codec, based on Windows Media, to be included in the read-only BD-ROM spec. Blu-Ray, backed by companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Philips and Matsu****a will require the codec to be used in playback equipment. The rival HD DVD format, backed by NEC and Toshiba, has already endorsed the VC-1 codec in its own specification."</i><br /><br />This new about Blu-Ray requiring VC-1, coupled with news that HD-DVD will also be incorporating Microsoft's patented video codecs (something we reported on last month), makes for an interesting future for the new standards. So much for things being open source. ;-) I wonder whether this will benefit or hurt Microsoft's relationship with hardware companies. The one that comes to mind first is Sony, since they just (probably) adopted Blu-Ray for their PlayStation 3.