James Delahunty
19 Dec 2005 11:36
As it threatened to do if the Blu-ray Disc Association did not give in to its demands, Hewlett-Packard has now thrown support behind the HD-DVD format as well. This all started when HP requested that Mandatory Managed Copy and iHD be part of Blu-Ray. While Mandatory Managed Copy is part of the Blu-ray Disc specifications, iHD is not. The XML-based interactive functionality provision is currently supported by the HD-DVD group and will be an integral part of Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system, expected to be released in late-2006.
The Blu-ray group did say that iHD may be included in a future iteration of the specifications but for now they were going to proceed using the java-based BD-J for the format instead for the time being. This is simply not good enough for HP and now the company is backing both formats, so effectively is neutral. However, it did point out the advantages HD-DVD has over Blu-ray for PC manufacturers. "[iHD] integration will reduce development costs and provide a more affordable solution for consumers," HP said in a statement issued Friday. "In addition, HD-DVD provides a rich, cost-competitive solution for the consumer and is easier to manufacture."
The main reason HP would prefer to see iHD support in Blu-ray as well as HD-DVD is the dominance of "Windows" in the operating systems market. Since iHD is included in Windows Vista, manufacturers would be paying for the interactive layer in the cost of the operating system, saving them from having to pay royalties for the Interactive layer. This makes an effective difference for PC manufacturers that ship millions of new PCs each year.
Source:
The Register