Microsoft has taken a stand against Blu-Ray players and Sony
Filed under: High Definition, Microsoft News, News | By: Daniel
Posted on: June 24, 2007 | 11 Comments
In the hands of consumers are 1.5 million Blu-Ray players, while the other main player in the high definition game (HD-DVD) sees just 300,000 players in the mix.
These figures include Blu-Ray players on the Sony PS3 system (which is standard) and the HD-DVD players for the Xbox 360 (which are separate).
High definition players in consumers living rooms have also helped Sony secure Blockbuster in choosing the Blu-Ray format.
So the PS3 could end up having much of its on-time being used as a player for HD movies if things continue the way they are going, while the Xbox 360 just wants to be a games machine and media streamer rather than a HD-DVD movie player.
With a company spokesperson from Microsoft making it very clear they will not support Sony by having a Blu-Ray drive option for the Xbox 360, things are really getting interesting and starting to take form on what Sony and Microsoft are doing.
Sony’s aim is to have a high tech gaming system and a Blu-Ray player in everyone’s living room, which it hopes to by the next DVD standard.
While Microsoft seem to be going another route which is again to have the HD gaming and instead of a HD video player they want to aim more at streaming all types of content including HD video and future IPTV.
Although Sony is adding certain features via firmware updates the Sony PS3 is not designed for this side of things at the outset, so in my opinion the Sony PS3 and the Xbox 360 will always fight on who is the better games system but they are both going to be the best at other things.
The Xbox 360 will be the best at IPTV and video streaming, while the Sony PS3 will be the best at being a high definition disc player (Blu-ray).
Both will be good at gaming.
Do you agree and what’s your view?
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These two corporate morons are messing it up for the consumer who wants a unified HD disc format. And I thought Toshiba was just gunning for Sony. Oh, did we forget that MS had an HD DVD player for 360; why not just make a BD if needed. They will still have the streaming and IPTV (hee hee can’t not giggle when I say that) in their corner.
Personally, i think that the 360’s goal is a much better idea. The internet is the way to go, and it seems microsoft isnt going to skrew it up this time.
Either way, blue ray is a huge waste of money. It’s cheaper to buy hdd space than it is blue ray disks, and it’s more convienent with steamning media, or hdd stored media.
Simply put, the computers are already ahead of consoles and will stay that way… consoles suck.
It’s still way too early to say which format will prevail, even Blockbuster says that. Personally, I did not buy a ps2 or xbox last cycle to play DVD movies, and I doubt many people are buying the PS3 or 360 with similar intentions. What I do know is that all my friends from college are talking about Halo 3, I don’t know anyone who even owns a PS3. Two other huge tech companies, Panasonic and LG had a video game system that was quite cutting-edge. It played Video CDs, had 32-bit graphics while Ninetndo and Sega had 16-bit. It was called the 3DO. It’s looking more and more like the PS3 will share the same fate…to be forgotten or at best, remembered by enthusiasts as an over-priced novelty.
I thought Sony already has IPTV on the PS3 in Korea?
Economies of scale are already driving down the cost of Blu-ray, and paper Blu-ray discs can cut costs further. Meanwhile, Microsoft is making us continually buy new and bigger hard drives, starting with a 120GB disk that costs three times more than a standard drive with the same capacity.
Also, how are computers supposed to replace set-top disc players, when people around the world just aren’t buying as many of them? Look at the Japanese market; folks there are absolutely snubbing them, content to surf the Web on their Wiis and PS3s.
I love my XBox, but I think that 360 fanboys need a reality check.
Also, don’t talk to me about streaming, when the UK, Japan, Austria, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, and Spain won’t even allow dual-band support of 802.11n.
I’m pretty sure the 3DO didn’t sell 3.5 million units in its first 6 months of lifecycle.
Microsoft just want the consumer to remain confused so that neither format wins and digital HD downloads take off more quickly than they should.
But with 720p and 5.1 Dolby Digital, what MS is offering sucks balls compared to HD DVD and Blu-ray, so everytone should pack it in and acknowledge that the 70% of the market Blu-ray has ALL YEAR is a sign of the future. The quicker we move to one format, the better for everyone.
Blu-ray over the last 6 months has had more consistent picture quality and sound quality, which with more capacity and more bandwidth you’d only expect. It maybe Universal rushing catalogue titles to keep up with their deal with Toshiba, but one way or another something is bringing HD DVD down.
Pat, the PS3 world-wide sales is estimated at 3.5 million according to nextgenwars.com, we can compare this unfairly with the Wii and it doesn’t sound many, but do you know that 3.5 million in 6 months is more than what the PS1 and PS2 did in the same time period? And we know the outcome of those two platforms. Sales will be big for the PS3 this holiday.
I don’t think its too early to view which next format will win. Alots happened recently with Blockbuster and I’m hearing of stores choosing only to sell blu-ray due to Blockbuster’s decision. I don’t recall reading that Blockbuster doesn’t know which will prevail but its obvious they think Blu-ray will or they wouldn’t have chosen to stock only blu-ray titles so early.
I don’t think you can compare the 3DO with the PS3. Like I say the PS3 is doing better than the other Sony platforms did and from what I found it is estimated that the 3DO total sales is at 700,000. So both consoles are in a total different situation from each other. The 3DO developed by the 3DO company founded by various hardware and software companies, their goal to create an advanced console with CD based software. The only problem was is that it cost $700 (thats like $2000 of today) with low quality software with too many cut-scenes in the games over gameplay. At that time in 1993-94 3DO’s competitors where from the established 16 bit consoles from Sega and Nintendo and at the end of 94 the 3DO price was reduced to $500 at this time Sega had released the Saturn in Japan and the rest off the world in 95. Also in 95 Sony released the Playstation with its better hardware and software dashing all hopes for 3DO company. So how would you expect the 3DO to survive?
Even you can’t deny that the PS3 is in a totally different position than the 3DO.
Zac is it cheaper to buy more HDD space with the content?
You forget that HD streaming won’t be for the masses for quite a while. And you have to expect that the masses with know how to pay, download and store. they’re still struggling with clicking on interent explorer. How many people do you think will go out and buy a 360 for HD streaming compared to the people who will go out and buy a PS3 for a soon to be the next format blu-ray players? The 360 is now for games but would they have said that if it was HD-DVD with the success? I think not. The 360 will have no other option than to be just for games as there will be no need for the HD-DVD add-on. And do you think Microsoft will ever go up to Sony and ask nicely if the can have permission for a blu-ray add-on?
And I doubt the streamed media or the lack off will be in in high quality bitrate’s comapared to what would be on a disc. You may never see film and TV from Sony Pictures which include colombia pictures and TriStar pictures, possibly but unlikely MGM (as a consortium led by Sony acquired them in 2005) there are some others smaller ones like MGE, Triumph Films and screen Gems etc. So many thousands and future content could possibly never be seen on 360’s streaming service. It won’t matter anyway as I don’t think it will be huge on the 360.
“YO” well put
Funny how predictions from summer just don’t pan out…PS3 sales have hit rock bottom, the holidays were a boon to the Wii where it has outsold both the 360 and the PS3 (with no DVD\HD\BR capabilities at all). It should also be noted that sources have confirmed that studios that jump ship to BR from HD are being compensated heavily by Sony, not the BR consortium. If Sony and team wanted the best for the consumer, they would have joined the Official DVD forum to standardize the future DVD technology instead of running off and re-inventing the wheel so they can benefit from royalties from every company that licenses the technology.
HD is cheaper to manufacture, the discs do not require retooling of manufacturing since it uses the same pressing process and are also more scratch resistant due to the layer thickness of the discs. The current success of BR is a testament to the power of big business (Sony) and their influence over the uneducated masses over technology that would have made it cheaper for the consumer. Sure BR discs can currently hold 50gigs but that is dual layer only and the current dual layer spec of HDDVD can hold just as much data but it’s not out yet because there isn’t a need. All but the longest movies (LOTR Trilogy) can fit on a single layer of either format so unless you like extras, most of which nobody even watches it’s useless. Dual-layer BR burners are available but the discs are $40 each.
The BR camp, led by Sony, is no different than GM killing the electric car in the 90’s because it would have caused them to lose money (substitute regular car maintenance with royalties) but would be better for the consumer in the long run. GM actually cancelled the leases against the owners wills and recalled all EV1 vehicles and killed the program. I am not a fan of either camp but if you look at the overall impact to the consumer and the technology, the BR consortium has done more to hurt the consumer than help. I do own an external HD drive a la Xbox 360 for my PC because the BR players are just too damned expensive and an external one is just not available.
I guess there is one benefit to owning a BR. By all accounts the movies are easier to rip and transcode to other formats