MS, Bayer pharm. *and* what looks to be a Big Oil (tm) firm. Well, it's fortunate that you've never contracted with one of the Big Tobacco (tm) companies or we'd have to kill you.
Thank the founding fathers and Alexander Hamilton in particular that we have a free market economy. Nothing has been better for the American consumer than competition. It was true in 1776 and its true today. It's the best guaranty of consumer protection from high prices and shoddy products.
When I was a kid it cost around $400 for a round trip airline ticket from Phoenix to Los Angeles. Today after deregulation I can take the same trip for under $100. Some would say that the service sucks but those same people wouldn't have been able to fly at all 40 years ago. You want that level of service buy a first class ticket and pay $400.
Competition has been good for our economy and is the basis of our society. I say let the competition rage. It will only make things better and cheaper for the consumers of these products.
While I agree with you on the subject quoted here, I find your attacks on Hunt...distastefull. He is right, there's no reason for MS to be involved in this at all, unless you take a broad look. But I've covered that already.
You don't agree with him? Cool. But no reason to name-call, especially when he's got valid points.
Unless someone can give a reason for MS to be championing media formats despite having no stake in it? Media Center has by no means taken off at all, nor does it show any indication it's going to anytime soon. In fact, I've yet to see a Media Center edition of XP, and I see *alot* of computers.
I do find it delicious that Mr. Hunt is now treading the same sort of territory that those who accuse him of being a Sony shill inhabit. The fact that he and his apologists think there's some world of difference between the two accusations says all that needs be said about their perspective on the format war. Especially considering that with the read-and-respond that's been going on, he's moved on to tacitly calling Mr. Doherty a liar (and is just inches from explicitly doing so). And he acts so shocked that his word alone isn't enough to dispel the "Sony shill" accusations.
I don't have access to NPD, I can't access sales data, not really a fair question.
Regardless, Media Center has nothing to do with the subject the more I think about it. Will run just fine regardless of the disc if MS wants it to. Will sell just fine either way as well. MC isn't at all tied to HD-DVD, otherwise it wouldn't have existed in 2003.
Good point, I hadn't considered Media Center. This has really had me thinking all day but I still need to do more research before I fell comfortable forming a solid opinion.
I did have one question that I kept coming back to and I tried to do some quick research between meetings this afternoon but never found a definitive answer. Does Media Center support both formats or is it tied solely to HD DVD? Basically, can I install a Blu-ray drive into a machine running Vista Ultimate and expect the drive to work with MC?
That's not what happened. They have a logical interest in DRM, audio- and video streams, compression codecs and storage. They sought to join one or both of the format groups, but were opposed to the BD+ implementation (which executes a script from the individual disc) and there's no doubt there were other commercial considerations (supposedly talks with some members of the BD-group didn't have the expected outcome). They then chose for the HD DVD group, as published in a statement.
Of course being a member of a format group involves "backing it up", but it's not like they just came out of the blue and started "pushing companies". They're a party like several other companies.
Speaking of BD+: Bill Hunt mentions DivX a lot lately. He opposed to it in the past, and although we all understand now that he chose in favour of BD, I think he should be more critical to BD+ at the same time.
It can easily implement a DivX-like scheme, is much more powerful than that, and even incorporates the possibilities (all of 'em) of the infamous rootkit another Sony company installed on several consumer's PC's.
Bill should warn consumers for its use, if not totally be opposed to BD+! Or else explain why it suddenly isn't so bad anymore.
Since Media Center is an extension of the OS, it is not hardware dependant. If the OS/Hardware recognizes the drive, then there would be no issue with HD or BD or Combo drives.
Ive just noticed too that DvdTalk.com under Hd-Dvd and Bluray reviews announce that " Dvd Talk is the only place for UNBIASED Hd-Dvd and Bluray reviews " , ( unbiased boldened rather than capitalised , sorry )
Its good to see others appreciate neutrality .....