Kutaragi -Next-Gen DVD Standard Unlikely!!! News
Jon Wilcox
09/06/2005
Sony Computer Entertainment denounces claims that HD-DVD and Blu-Ray standards will unify, setting the way for Betamax/VHS Round 2...
As the signs looked increasingly positive that the two camps would come together rather then compete in a costly next-gen DVD format wars, Ken Kutaragi President Sony Computer Entertainment, has recently told Bloomberg News that a âunifiedâ standard is unlikely.
Despite earlier demonstrations to prove the possible compatibility between the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray standards, doubts were raised when Sony emphatically championed its technology for the Playstation3. However the lessons Sony learnt during the Betamax/VHS war taking place in the early 80âs should place them in good stead; despite the heavyweight launch of the Playstation3 behind Blu-Ray in Spring 2006, Toshiba will get its first HD-DVD to the market in late 2005 and has attracted wide-scale support from the movie industry. Of more significance is the acknowledgement of becoming the HDTV successor to DVD, as voted on by the authoritative DVD Forum in November 2003 â“ bizarrely the Blu-Ray disc was never submitted for consideration!
A worst case scenario would see both formats competing against each other, certainly the fact that the Playstation2 for the time acted as a cheap DVD player helped to escalate sales to consumers who would never thing of picking up a games console; if confusion continues to reign regarding the future of DVD then one looks likely to find itself in an extremely costly situation.
Weâll have further information soon.