Apple adopts Blu-ray Technology

[MacRumors]

The Blu-ray Disc Association announced today that Apple has become a member of the consortium's Board of Directors.

“Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Consumers are already creating stunning HD content with Apple’s leading video editing applications like iMovie HD and are anxiously awaiting a way to burn their own high def DVDs.”

Blu-ray is a next-generation optical disc format being developed for High Definition video and high-capacity software applications. A Blu-ray disc will be able to hold up to 50GB of data (double layer).

During the MacWorld Expo SF Keynote speech Steve Jobs described 2005 as "the year of High Definition Video" and introduced HD video support into iMovie and Final Cut Express. Sony also demonstrated a HD Video camera at the keynote speech. The missing link has been the consumer's ability to export HD video off their Mac. It appears Blu-ray will be the technology and we can expect iDVD and burning support in the future.

[jimsowden]

Where does the debate stand on HD-DVD vs Blue-ray? I did a project on it, and it looked like there was no one pulling ahead, this was only a few months ago. I would love to see some updates.

[Gherkin]

So, how soon until we see a Blu-Ray drive on a Mac?

[JesterJJZ]

I'm just glad they went with BluRay over HDDVD.

[nuckinfutz]

Apple don't be stupid.

Support both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Just get political on us!

[nuckinfutz]

Originally Posted by JesterJJZ

I'm just glad they went with BluRay over HDDVD.

Why?

[Chaszmyr]

Glad to see Apple on board with Blu Ray rather than HD DVD. I've been hoping for Blu Ray from the start.

[nuckinfutz]

But HD-DVD has the dreamteam of studios.

Paramount- Back to the Future. Archive
Universal-
New Line -Lord of the Rings. Nuff said. Archive
Warner Brothers- The Matrix series

They've already announced 89 titles! Where's Blu-Ray?

[brap]

Originally Posted by Chaszmyr

Glad to see Apple on board with Blu Ray rather than HD DVD. I've been hoping for Blu Ray from the start.

I don't get it, surely it's best to have all bases covered. But then, Apple did do the dirty against DVD+R, so *shrug*.

We're all used to our computers being highly proprietary anyway, I guess. If it brings in cash and innovation... blech, whatever. I'm always a 'late adopter' anyway, when it comes to this kinda stuff.

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by Gherkin

So, how soon until we see a Blu-Ray drive on a Mac?

I don't think anyone has it yet, As far as I know its still in development.

[JesterJJZ]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

Why?

Because it will help with the format war. Who want 2 formats? 1 needs to go. With BluRay alrady having the most support behind it, it makes it that much better with Apple on board.

[Zaty]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

But HD-DVD has the dreamteam of studios.

Paramount-
Universal-
New Line
Warner Brothers-

They've already announced 89 titles! Where's Blu-Ray?

Right, but the majority of the hardware industrie is in the Blu-Ray camp. So the studios might run into a problem there.

[MacNut]

What one has better quality and capacity Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

[raggedjimmi]

sweet jesus. ive just been on http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvd-comp2.htm looking up all this blue-ray and HD DVD stuff... and i really have to say that Blue Ray discs look foul. more than foul, distgusting, ugly, crap...

how the hell are they going to fit Blue Ray drives into iBooks and Powerbooks? looks an extra 4" required.

my wild reckoning... HD DVD seems like the way to go. its smaller and apparently cheaper. joe public usually goes for that kind of stuff.

[jesuscandle]

Don't forget that HD-DVD is simply inferior to Blue-Ray.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2110495/

Here's the money quote:

Blu-ray disks have a coating that's one-sixth the thickness of the outside layer of a DVD or an HD-DVD. Blu-ray's data layers are thus closer to the surface, allowing the laser in a Blu-ray player to read data that's encoded with smaller markings. Since the markings are smaller, more of them—and, consequently, more data—can be packed onto a single layer. Sony also expects to boost the number of data layers from two to four by 2007 and ultimately to eight. Despite all the noise from Sony, Toshiba has been conspicuously quiet about adding more layers to HD-DVDs down the road. Summary: Blu-ray disks can store more data on each layer and will likely have more layers of data than HD-DVDs.

While HD-DVD backers tout 30-gigabyte, dual-layer disks, Sony already has a 50-gig, dual-layer model and has an eight-layer, 200-gig superdisk in development. So, why do so many Hollywood studios want their HD-DVD? Probably because they're a whole lot cheaper to manufacture. Earlier this year, some Taiwanese disk makers told PC World that prerecorded HD-DVDs will be cheaper to churn out than Blu-ray disks. Since HD-DVDs have the same size layers as today's disks, existing DVD factories can start churning out HD-DVDs without much retooling. But Blu-ray disks, with their thicker data layers, won't be so easy to make. New, expensive assembly lines will have to be built—that's the kind of expense that cuts down profit margins.

[homeshire]

my only concern at this point is backward compatibility. i'll be damned if i'll start my collection all over again. if i'm not mistaken, one of these formats allows for backward compatibility, and the other does not. can someone speak to this?

[T.Rex]

Originally Posted by raggedjimmi

sweet jesus. ive just been on http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvd-comp2.htm looking up all this blue-ray and HD DVD stuff... and i really have to say that Blue Ray discs look foul. more than foul, distgusting, ugly, crap...

how the hell are they going to fit Blue Ray drives into iBooks and Powerbooks? looks an extra 4" required.

my wild reckoning... HD DVD seems like the way to go. its smaller and apparently cheaper. joe public usually goes for that kind of stuff.

That link is based on old information. Original prototypes for Blu-ray required the disk be in a caddy because it was easily scratched. They've solved this now and will not require a caddy when released.

[arn]

Originally Posted by raggedjimmi

sweet jesus. ive just been on http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvd-comp2.htm looking up all this blue-ray and HD DVD stuff... and i really have to say that Blue Ray discs look foul. more than foul, distgusting, ugly, crap...

how the hell are they going to fit Blue Ray drives into iBooks and Powerbooks? looks an extra 4" required.

my wild reckoning... HD DVD seems like the way to go. its smaller and apparently cheaper. joe public usually goes for that kind of stuff.

"Even when the new video standard begins to replace current technologies, consumers won't have to throw away their DVDs, but they will need to invest in a new player. The industry is planning to market backward-compatible drives with both blue and red lasers, which will be able to play traditional DVDs and CDs as well as Blu-ray discs."

So I don't think the form factor is going to be different.

[JackSYi]

The Blu-Ray CD can theoretically hold 50GB of data vs. the 30 GB on the HD-DVD. The companies behind the Blu-Ray is also significant, they include: Dell Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corp.; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corp.; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corp.; Sony Corp.; TDK Corp.; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.

I am rooting for Blu-Ray because of its capacity, just think of the possibilities; also HD formats are going to require tons of space.

[T.Rex]

Originally Posted by nuckinfutz

But HD-DVD has the dreamteam of studios.

Paramount-
Universal-
New Line
Warner Brothers-

They've already announced 89 titles! Where's Blu-Ray?

Ya, but from what I understand, those aren't exclusive deals. Basically they've just said they will support the format - this doesn't mean they can't/won't support blu-ray as well and let the market decide which wins.

[JackSYi]

Originally Posted by arn

"Even when the new video standard begins to replace current technologies, consumers won't have to throw away their DVDs, but they will need to invest in a new player. The industry is planning to market backward-compatible drives with both blue and red lasers, which will be able to play traditional DVDs and CDs as well as Blu-ray discs."

So I don't think the form factor is going to be different.

Exactly, not going to be an issue. Both formats are backwards compatible with current DVDs.

http://news.com.com/Apple+sides+with...8819&subj=news

[aswitcher]

So PS3 in 2006...Apple PM with optional BluRay DVD at the same time...

[nuckinfutz]

Don't forget that HD-DVD is simply inferior to Blue-Ray.

LOL. The article is trying to sell me on Vapor? Blu Ray hasn't even announced titles and you're talking about 200GB discs. Ask yourself this. If BR is superior then why did they require a Caddy in the beginning when HD-DVD never did? The person that wrote that article doesn't know ****.

Ya, but from what I understand, those aren't exclusive deals. Basically they've just said they will support the format - this doesn't mean they can't/won't support blu-ray as well and let the market decide which wins.

Yes and vice versa. But note that the HD-DVD camp has already announce the first batch of 89 titles. Thus the speculation that HD-DVD production will be easier and cheaper seems to carry weight. Blu-Ray has a nice size advantage that only affects % 5 of movies being made(ie over 132 minutes) thus both formats handle the remaining %95 with one disc. The extra space is superfluous for movie distribution. Computer use is another story.

Neither company will win. This is another war that is not winnable.

[Bob Dobbs]

My guess is that the format the the PORN producers pic will win. I'll go further and guess that porno guys will go for the HD-DVD because it is cheaper, no retooling (lol), and they only have to fill 30gig, not 50 - that extra 20 gig is almost enough to make (and sell) another film.

my 2cents

[Lacero]

I support HD DVD. The name certainly holds more traction with consumers.