Sony and Toshiba halt blu-ray hd-dvd unification

[pApA SmerF01]

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Toshiba Corp. announced that does not expect an unified format for a next-generation DVD before its year-end launch of HD DVD players.

"We've been working toward unification. But talks are now stalled. We will press ahead with the product launch as planned," Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida told Reuters in an interview.

Andy Parsons, a Blu-ray spokesman, confirmed that the talks had stalled but denied that it meant the two groups had reached an impasse.

"We are hopeful that we can still find a resolution," Parsons said. "We still have time to find a way to avoid having two formats go to market, which isn't good for consumers or us."



HD DVD players are expected to become available in late 2005 and widely available in 2006. Toshiba plans to launch its first HD DVD products, a CE player and recorder, in the fourth quarter of 2005. The company also plans to release notebook PC with a built-in HD DVD drive at the end of 2005.

A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50 gigabytes of data. In contrast, a HD DVD disc can hold up to 15 GB per layer per side, offering capacities up to 30 GB per side or 60 GB per disc.




Although Blu-ray Disc can technology hold more data per disc than HD DVD, the lower manufacturing costs and compatibility with the current DVD format makes HD DVD more consumer-friendly. All HD DVD discs share the same basic structure as current DVDs: two 0.6-mm thick discs bonded back-to-back, the same fundamental structure used in the production of more than 1000 DVD disc replication lines around the world. From these existing DVD lines, 3.2 billion discs were produced in 2004 worldwide. By adopting the same proven structure and material as current DVDs, an HD DVD disc can be produced without incurring significant additional cost.

HD DVD offers a variety of discs, including: a 15GB single-layer, single-sided disc and a 30GB dual-layer, single-sided ROM disc, both approved and standardized by the DVD Forum (an international association of hardware manufacturers, software firms, content providers and other users of DVDs).

Toshiba also recently announced a high capacity triple-layer, single-sided 45GB ROM disc, and a hybrid (double-sided, dual-layer) ROM disc with 30GB of high-definition content on one side and 8.5GB of standard-definition on the other. Manufacturability for these new discs has been verified as well by key disc replicators.

Earlier this year, several Hollywood motion picture studios announced plans to issue a broad range of new releases and catalog titles on HD DVD beginning in Q4 2005.

Last month, at a joint press conference with Toshiba, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates revealed that the Xbox 360 video may incorporate in the future HD DVD, the next-generation DVD format developed by Toshiba.

“The initial shipments of Xbox 360 will be based on today's DVD format,” Gates confirmed. “We are looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capability of an HD DVD player or something else.”

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[citizen X]

Originally Posted by pApA SmerF01

big news:


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Nice find.

I think that changing their minds and going for the HDDVD format is in Sony’s best interest. Just like in the article, not having a standard disk format is not good for the manufactures or for us, the consumers. And think about it, the cost would be much lower; it would save the consumers a lot of money. But I doubt they would change their minds.

Any ways good find Papa, hope u get some more information on the topic.