In an aim to promote the Blu-Ray disc format further, HP is one of the first to announce adding Blu-Ray drives in its desktops late 2005 and even its Laptop PCs from early 2006. The two main reasons HP is committing to using the Blu-Ray format is due to Blu-Ray's higher capacity of 50GB per dual-layer disc and interactive features built into the Blu-Ray specification.
Both HP's laptop and PC Blu-Ray drives are expected to handle CDs and DVDs also. As DVD recorders were very expensive when they were first launched, HP aims to overcome the initial high pricing of Blu-Ray by large scale volume sales.
Both PC makers HP and Dell helped boost the DVD '+' standard by using DVD recorders in their PCs capable of recording to DVD+R(W) discs. As they are members of the Blu-Ray Disc Association; a group of 88 members, this should help push the Blu-Ray format to a good start. ThunderJon used our news submit to submit the following news:
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The PC maker announced on Tuesday that it will support the Blu-ray Disc format in some desktops and notebooks in late 2005. HP is one of the first companies to announce the inclusion of Blu-ray Disc, a blue-laser technology that enables storage of up to 50GB on a dual-layer disc. Drives supporting the format are expected to play CDs and DVDs. Blu-ray Disc is competing with another blue-laser technology, high-definition DVDs, but the two formats are incompatible. HD DVD discs store up to 30GB on a dual-layer disc. Blue-laser optical disc formats are expected to take over for DVDs, which--with a storage capacity of 4.7GB--won't be able to store much high-resolution digital television programming. "Our decision to back Blu-ray was largely because of its capacity advantage (over HD DVD), as well as the interactive features being built into the specification," said Maureen Weber, general manager of optical storage at HP. "We will help with economies of scale....We'll drive down prices as we push volumes." |
This time it looks like it will be either Hollywood (most backing HD DVD) or the PC makers (most backing Blu-Ray) that will likely determine which side becomes mainstream.
On the other hand, if both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray drives make it into consumer PCs which looks to be the case, then neither format can be discarded. In my opinion if HP and Dell has its Blu-Ray way and the movie industry has its HD-DVD way, then what will likely happen is that HD-DVD will become the mainstream format for movies and Blu-Ray will become mainstream for PC data. The only problem in this scenario is having two different drives in the PC to handle both formats, or at least until someone develops a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD hybrid drive. 🙂
ThunderJon added: Bravo HP for leading the pack and looking forward. A great way to push for acceptance of the standard. If HP sells it consumers will buy it and buying goes a long way to accepting it as a true standard.
Feel free to discuss about Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and other upcoming high density optical disc formats in our Satellite, HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum.
Source: C|Net News - Consumer Products
