WB , Microsoft team on HD format (1 Viewer)

[AnthonyL]

Interesting news - Warner Bros., Microsoft Team on High-Def Format-see link:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...stry_warner_dc

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

"collaboration"? Talk about PR spin...

Calling it a "collaboration" is quite far reaching and misleading. Warner is simply using a Microsoft product, VC-1, Microsoft's latest video codec. If there is any real collaboration exclusively between these companies, the article failed to shed any light on it. Currently Microsoft is not offering Warner anything more than what it is offering all of the other studios regardless of which HD format they might be supporting. As far as I have heard all the studios supporting either or both HD DVD and Blu-ray have plans to use VC-1. So I suppose Microsoft is "collaborating" with everyone.

Besides, Warner had already said last year that they planned to use VC-1, so this is hardly newsworthy.

In addition, calling VC-1's current SMPTE's FCD status, which was announced last week, a "significant milestone" is bit of a stretch.

The news everyone is waiting to hear is whether or not there will be a collaboration between the HD DVD and Blu-ray groups, and if so how will that impact consumers.

The latest qualified predictions are that if such a collaboration occurs we could be looking at a launch delay of a unified HD format of at least one to two years with an expected +20% increase in hardware and software prices, and possibly a more restrictive version of both formats.

This "article” sounds like nothing more than a PR attempt on Warner's part to stir up interest in HD DVD in order to try to improve their position in any possible negotiations with Blu-ray.

 

[Robert Spalding]

But welcome to the forum anyway....sheesh