BDA makes a truce offer to M$ and Toshiba

Here is an excerpt that I just found at ign.com I'm impressed because it really sounds like an intelligent, sincere offer. And for those who are still upset about the fall of hddvd remember its how the business world works sometimes. Companies rise and companies fall and its not always fair or right. (Take Enron for example) I am a little sad as well but the sooner we can move on the sooner we can all get on with our lives.

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February 19, 2008 - Now that the format war is over, with an official concession from Toshiba delivered earlier this week, the question becomes what comes next for manufacturers formerly amalgamated with HD-DVD? In an interview with TechRadar, Blu-Ray Association spokesman Frank Simonis stated that former HD-DVD rivals should join the Blu-Ray family.

"We have always said that Toshiba and Microsoft, and any other company is more than welcome to join the Blu-Ray Disc Association. We are an open organization, with an open disc standard," said Simonis. He later went on to say that Microsoft and Toshiba would be valuable additions to the Blu-Ray camp. Simonis refused to declare an official victory for Blu-Ray although the demise of HD-DVD was seemingly imminent after Toshiba's withdrawal. However, Simonis did express a level of empathy noting the difficulty Toshiba would face if it were to switch to Blu-Ray as one of HD-DVD's principle backers.

After Warner Bros.' crucial withdrawal of support for the HD-DVD format earlier this year, Microsoft representatives acknowledged a potential swapping of support for Blu-Ray. Simonis went on to comment on the prospect of Blu-Ray support in future Xbox systems.

"Microsoft could easily put Blu-Ray inside the Xbox," said Simonis. "From my understanding Microsoft did an early evaluation and the Xbox has a similar processor to the PS3 so it will be perfectly capable of decoding a Blu-Ray disc." While many believe that Blu-Ray support in both the PS3 and Xbox 360 would create an unsavory juxtaposition for Sony, Simonis maintains that Sony would have little choice in the matter.

"Sony has nothing to say on this. The BDA is an open organization and no one company is in charge of it. It's irrelevant whether Sony would be happy about Microsoft joining up, because it wouldn't have a say," said Simonis. Despite the resolution of the format war, some claim that the Blu-Ray format still faces several potential threats namely digital downloads and streaming.

Simonis debunked these claims, stating that "When it comes to ownership of content, we've seen the research: people like to have a physical disc in their hand. With a real box and real case lining. Downloads don't offer people what they want." Simonis cited the current impracticality and exorbitant download times involved with digital downloads. "Downloading a 4.7GB movie is still an absolute pain for most people," said Simonis. "So what would it be to download a 50GB 1080p movie? It would take an extraordinary amount of time and people are just not ready for such things."

i agree wih the download thing, i want a disc not a harddrive. i collect movies and perfer hard disc. Music doest matter to me, but a movie is something different to me. I had my music collection get erased with downloads. it sucks! and i would be pissed if i lost all my movies lol. I think movie downloads will be the future for renting. but people still love to own there favorite movies cause people like there collections.

"Sony would not have a saying on this..."???? Wow, what a slap on the face it would be for Sony if MS were to join and the BD group helps MS develop an add-on or even an BD internal drive for the XBOX 360.

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"Sony would not have a saying on this..."???? Wow, what a slap on the face it would be for Sony if MS were to join and the BD group helps MS develop an add-on or even an BD internal drive for the XBOX 360.

When I read that part.. I wooted and went "GO BDA!" I would love to see a BR equipped 360 just to see the kind of Bricks that Sony would lay.

Not sure if MS would actually put a Blu Ray drive in the Xbox 360...but I think it would be a smart choice. You watch the PS3 sales fall right off the map if Xbox 360 had the same drive....

I also found the comments to be quite interesting and very smart. Sony, Toshiba, and Microsoft are very large and powerful corporations that have been involved in the high tech business for years and the BDA knows this. If you have noticed during the last few days there have been alot of posturing on the part of everyone. Noone wants to tick anyone off to the point where bridges are burned. Makes sense to me. You never know who you might need help from or have to work for or with one day.

[Post edited by chemteam on Feb 19, 2008]

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Not sure if MS would actually put a Blu Ray drive in the Xbox 360...but I think it would be a smart choice. You watch the PS3 sales fall right off the map if Xbox 360 had the same drive....

It would be awesome to see. I would personally prefer an Add-On option but.. that's me. I don't want to buy another Xbox 360.. unless they had a trade-in program.. or a "Send in you're console and we'll put in a Blu-Ray Player for 100 dollars" Dealio... which would never happen.

I would imagine that MS would just go with an external drive for now...until the next major incarnation of their gaming system.

I wonder how Sony would feel about 16 million 360's out there that had the option of a Blu Ray external drive....say for $200 or so like the HD drive first was.

Mike37 we can only dream...

[Post edited by Bosshog7 on Feb 20, 2008]

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I would imagine that MS would just go with an external drive for now...until the next major incarnation of their gaming system.

I wonder how Sony would feel about 16 million 360's out there that had the option of a Blu Ray external drive....say for $200 or so like the HD drive first was.

A whole lot better then 4 million Xbox360's with Blu-Ray built in.

My problem with an add-on is... Where am I going to put it? I'm not going to tuck away my HD-DVD Add-on... and there's no room next to it in the cubby... maybe if I moved my Wii over I could put it next to my Wii... or I could place it on top of the 360.. but I'm worried about heat transfer.

Doesn't Sony own Blu Ray patents? That's why they get royalties, is it not?

Perhaps I'm wrong, but all I ever read in anything I could find (they dont hold the ONLY pattents). I think Toshiba might have an issue paying royalties to its rival. MS may not care, but I highly doubt Toshiba will pay the people who paid to put them out of the HD business.