Sony: Blu-Ray format can’t be improved

[admin]

Speaking at IFA, Taka Miyama, Sony’s product strategy manager for home video marketing in Europe told us: “Blu-Ray is the final format for the optical disc. We don’t have a shorter laser. In the future, if we have a physical media format, it will change physically. It won’t look like an optical disc.”

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2008/09/01/sony-blu-ray-format-can%e2%80%99t-be-improved/

So will Blu-ray become the last ever optical disc format?

[blutach]

I'll be waiting for the next technology, which, hopefully will make a mint for someone other than SONY.

Regards

[drfsupercenter]

I think just hard drives with video output and an Internet connection will be the future of movies.

I mean, I can store tons of DVD ISOs on my hard drive and use an S-Video cable to connect it to my TV... and I have a 6 year old computer! Imagine if companies avoided the need for discs at all, and just made massive hard drives that you could download movies to (you would buy some sort of a code in the store that you could use to redeem, kinda like iTunes)

Anyone like my idea?

[admin]

It's a good idea drf.

The disc-less home theatre is a dream I've had for quite a long time now. With HDD prices falling, RAID system more common to prevent data loss, and "Home Server" software being released by Microsoft and others, it's only a matter of time. It's already a reality for some people, although it lacks a really good common interface to make it mainstream (plus there's the whole copy protection issue that needs to be resolved).

I see Blu-ray at best as just a way to deliver content, which in the future will be one of many delivery methods such as memory card downloads at kiosks, or Net based download/streaming. Once you get the content to your home, whichever way you chose to do it, you then just add the movie to your digital collection by copying over the files to your media server, and that should be that. The RAID system should prevent data loss, but even so, there should be registration records whereby you can re-download movies if necessary (or if you got them on Blu-ray, then just re-copy them over).

[Wombler]

So will Blu-ray become the last ever optical disc format?

That strikes me as a case of PR triumphing over reality.

It's all very well Sony saying (with a smug grin) 'We've created the best format ever', but that's just not possible to know.

The progression of Moore's Law beyond repeated doom and gloom predictions is an example of continued (and unforseen) ingenuity so it's either a very brave or IMO a very foolish man that writes off unforseen future developments.

In any case despite Sony's assertions there are already other optical formats being researched at present.

HDV uses a green laser combined with 3D storage techniques and capacities of up to 3.9TB.

I'd regard that as a different optical format and it's a bit premature of Sony to deny the possibility of progress.


Wombler

[ed klein]

I believe cost will be the ultimate driving force for how people will watch movies in the future. Does not matter what the technology will be but will be driven by cost.

Example:

Just came back from REDBOX and got two new std def releases, Juncture and Payback at $1.00 each, how are you going to beat that at a cost perspective?

As REDBOX developes I am sure they will be getting into hi def and if they can keep the cost down and the method they are operating on now I am sure they will be a winner.

REDBOX is currently a pain in the a** to netflex and blockbuster because REDBOX is underselling them.

[drfsupercenter]

They already have Apple TV, though it seems pointless to me since you pay just as much as a DVD and don't get the extra features...

So I think the discless thing definitely has a future. It's just an issue of DRM... studios will almost certainly be paranoid about releasing high-definition movies in pure digital download, because of people being able to decrypt them (even Apple stuff can be decrypted now, so goodbye secure iTunes movies). Of course, people have cracked Blu-Ray so it's not really a valid argument from the studios, but they aren't known to think anyway!

Remember MiniDisc that Sony came out with a few years ago? That was supposed to replace audio CDs? Well what happened to them? They probably all ended up in a garbage dump somewhere. I think Sony's problem is they're too cocky... from "We've created the ultimate form of copy protection on DVDs" to "We just made the best HD format ever" to "HD is in our DNA"... etc. Obviously it's all a marketing ploy, but how much of it is true? I'm sure they bragged about MiniDisc before it ended up dying off too.