Ultra-Multi to end the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray war
Ah, there's nothing like CeBit rumors, unless you don't speak German, that is. Thankfully, some folks are
ever-so-helpful by sharing the juicy (yet ambiguous) news bits with us. This vague rumor may actually have some merit,
however. It wasn't too long ago that LG allegedly scrapped plans for
their BD199 Blu-Ray player in favor of a combo player for both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray by the fall. Now we're hearing
reports of "Ultra-Multi", which could use a name change, but may render the entire HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray battle
moot. The premise behind the "I go both ways" player is similar to what several of the Hollywood
studios have done: play both sides of the fence until details on a victor start to emerge. At this point,
Ultra-Multi could be a trade name, a manufacturers actual device (perhaps LG's?) or just something to stir up the rumor
mill. I predicted that the long term winner will be HD-DVD in show number three of our weekly podcast, while Ben is betting on Blu-Ray. We're both all-in on this bet, so if hybrid players outsell single format units should we just call this one a tie?
Filed under: Industry
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
hmurchison @ Mar 14th 2006 10:11AM
I agree with the Universal approach. This war isn't going to end soon and with a universal players I'm insulated from the war as much as I can without managing two distinct players.
Andrew @ Mar 14th 2006 10:28AM
The problem with a universal player is that both the HD-DVD and Blue-Ray camps prohibit universal players. You can build both, but you can't support both formats in a single player.
KeithA @ Mar 14th 2006 10:56AM
A universal approach won't be as easy as it sounds. There are many issues with intellectual property rights. For those interested, News.com took a look at some of the challenges here:
http://news.com.com/A+DVD+combo+Dont+hold+your+breath/2100-1041_3-6024875.html
EdwardA @ Mar 14th 2006 11:27AM
That's interesting. In my opinion, and I could be wrong, hybrid players will favor HD-DVD. The reason I see it going this way is simple. The upfront cost of a hybrid unit will likely have to be at or around the cost of the most expensive version of the opposing formats. So at this point you're paying at least BD prices for the hardware, but effectively you have both options. So now it's all about the content. In order to win, BD content has to differeniate itself from HD-DVD. With the additional space DB could do some amazing stuff concering Extra content, but given the current standards I doubt that will happen. So it comes down to availability and cost. While I don't expect either format to greatly undercut the other, it seems HD-DVD has the edge in production costs in the near term to produce less expensive product. Add that to less expensive player products, then HD-DVD should theoretically sell more units and have greater pentration. The universal players would technically be a wash in terms of penetration, but then those owners would have to be swayed by cost or features. Neither format has shown me unique features that blow me away (not that it couldn't happen, I just haven't seen them yet) so if a move is available in both formats and one is less expensive, I'll pick the more affordable one. My guess is this will be HD-DVD.
pete @ Mar 14th 2006 11:58AM
The next generation HD disc player with the name Ultra-Multi? No matter what the out come that is such a terrible name and is a turn off. Sounds like something out of a cheesey As seen on Tv commercials. "get your new Ultra-multi now and call 888-555-5555 and we'll throw in a free..."
hmurchison @ Mar 14th 2006 12:40PM
I have seen no proof there there are IP or Copyright issues with a Universal Player. Samsung stated they may look at a UP months ago and then jettisoned the idea. LG, however, has recently stated they may just make a Universal Player so I'm going to chalk this "you can't make a UP" up to hype and misinformation much like the HD-DVD only does 1080i crap that was distorted.
For the two competing formats to disallow UP brings us dangerously close to anti-trust action. If the copyright is protected, if IP is adhered to then there's no real reason not to have a UP. Thus any language that prohibits licensees from creating a UP would be done from anti-competitive motives. In some cases this is ok but in many it is not.
epobirs @ Mar 15th 2006 2:55PM
Now that the PlatStation 3 has a firm launch date, every month that passes without HD-DVD making a big splash is further assurance that Sony's Blu-ray will overwhelm the competition by dint of installed base of a game console that just happens to also play Blu-ray movies. The PS3 will sell at least 10 million units worldwide just to early adopters before it really has to make good on any of its promises. If it only manages to be merely comparable or slightly better than the Xbox 360 the PS3 is going to sell at a good pace just by virtue of having many major franchises tied to it. It could easily match or outpace the sales of dedicated HD-DVD players. Add to that the sales of dedicated Blu-ray players and you have a format juggernaut. HD-DVD will also appear in PCs but so will Blu-ray, so things are likely even on that front. Content providers are going to follow the money to the format that can deliver the greatest sales potential.
The issue of whether either format is genuinely better will become moot in the face of sheer volume of playback devices in homes making the decision for most of the market yet to come.