Sony Says It Wants To Avoid DVD Format War

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/Sony+Were+open+to+avoiding+a+DVD+format+war/2100-1041_3-5669166.html?tag=nefd.top' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/Sony+Were+open+to+avoiding+a+DVD+format+war/2100-1041_3-5669166.html?tag=nefd.top</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Sony said Wednesday that it is open to discussions to create a single standard for the next generation of DVD discs--a move that could head off the looming threat of a major format war among the world's biggest technology companies. "From the point of view to provide the best service to the consumer one format is better than two. We're open to discussions," Yukinori Kawauchi, general manager in charge of the next DVD format at Sony's Video Group, said in an interview."</i><br /><br />Well this would be the first time Sony actually did something right, or at least that wasn't proprietary. :roll:

[Kursplat]

Yes, and Sony wants that single format to be UMD. 8O

[Chris Gohlke]

I am sure they are open to a single standard, as long as it is theirs.

[Jason Dunn]

If it's more than a token gesture, then maybe there's hope for Sony after all...

[Felix Torres]

I can't imagine Sony scraping Blu-Ray at this late stage in the game. First, they already have such grand plans for it. Second, I would imagine the factories are well into preproduction. And third they want royalties from other companies BADLY! 8O

What could they possibly compremise on? My only thought is to split the royalties for Blu-Ray with Toshiba if Toshiba is willing to scrap the HD-DVD format. Thoughts? :?

Not necessarily.
SONY already scrapped one Blu-ray deployment format; the caddy-enclosed Blu-ray disks, in favor of the naked BD-ROM disks.

It would not be impossible to switch to a thinner disk spec that used HD-DVD encoding with Blu-ray laser and sensors to get a compromise spec.

The strength of HD-DVD is in manufacturing efficiencies and time-to-market. (First products to be out in three months, why BD-ROM is still a paper spec.) Things that the techie "wizards" at Sony never gave a second thought to in their quest to cram the maximum amount of data on a disk surface. So they ended up with good tech but a crappy product.
Since then, they have been reengineering the spec to meet real-world needs.

So, this *might* mean that they see the need to change even further as long as the finished product carries the Blu-Ray name and bring royalties to Sony.
I wouldn't be surprised if the converged product looked more like HD-DVD and almost nothing like the original Blu-ray products. Which I'm sure will thrill early adopters.

[Fitch]

Well.... would you look at that?
http://www.saudeanimal.com.br/imagens/pig-fly.gif

[boeman]

Sounds to me like someone in Sony found a major flaw with the Blu-ray technology :lol: