Format Wars Move to the Consumers
Blu-ray or HD DVD? You may help decide the winning format with your next PC purchase.
TOKYO -- There's no mistaking it: The battle for dominance between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc is now finally down to the consumers.
In the last month, we've had three PCs announced with drives for the new formats and one manufacturer planning to sell a stand-alone drive.
With each new announcement comes more information about the formats and how we might use them. For example, at Panasonic's launch of an external Blu-ray Disc drive, a representative of software maker CyberLink revealed that getting high-definition movies on your PC might be more difficult than just installing the drive.
There's no playback software available at present, and it will require a pretty powerful computer for the high-bandwidth video stream. In the case of MPEG-2-encoded content, users will need a Pentium 4-based machine running at 3 GHz or more. For movies encoded in MPEG-4 AVC, they'll require a more powerful Pentium D system running at 3.2 GHz or more. The good news is that using Blu-ray Disc for data backup can be done on a Pentium 3-based machine.
For early adopters, Fujitsu's FMV-Deskpower TX95S/D desktop will pack a Blu-ray Disc reader/writer compatible with prerecorded movie discs and recordable and rewritable data discs with capacities of 25GB or 50GB and hit Japan in late June. The machine combines a 37-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor with a computer in a single case, so it looks more like a flat-panel TV than a PC. It includes niceties like a digital TV tuner and will carry a premium price tag of around $5064. The Sony VAIO RC300 is also on its way, but no launch or pricing information is available yet. The Fujitsu machine will be available in Japan only, while the Sony PC will go on sale overseas.
As for portables, Fujitsu will launch a laptop with an HD DVD-ROM drive in June. The FMV Biblo NX95S/D laptop has a 17-inch wide-screen XGA+ (1400-by-900 pixels) display, which is slightly less than the full 1080 high-definition resolution available from HD DVD. The laptop has a video output socket, but it's limited to standard definition so there is no way of watching content at full HD quality. The machine will cost about $3604, and there are no plans to sell it overseas. Toshiba has already announced an HD DVD laptop, complete with HD video output, as mentioned in this column last month.
If you don't want to replace your PC but want the extra storage capacity offered by Blu-ray Disc, then Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) has a stand-alone drive on the way. It's a half-height model and will fit into a standard bay on a desktop. A single Blu-ray Disc offers a capacity equivalent to about 10 DVDs so it's obviously attractive for data backup. However, at about $850, the first-generation drive won't be cheap. It will be available in Japan from June, and Panasonic
has yet to decide on international launch plans.
Sony's new D-VE7000S DVD Walkman offers a design twist on run-of-the-mill portable DVD players. Rather than the clamshell design that most players follow, Sony's new machine is a single slab with a seven-inch widescreen LCD monitor mounted on the outside of the case. Twin headphone jacks mean you can share a movie with someone else and a video input connector means you can use it as a portable display for a device like a gaming machine. When you're not on the move, there's a companion dock that includes speakers so you can watch DVDs without needing headphones. The dock also charges the DVD Walkman. It will be available in Japan and the United States starting in June and will cost $299 in the U.S.
At the CeBIT electronics show in Germany earlier this year, the Q1 ultramobile PC from Samsung Electronics was the center of a lot of attention. The reason? It's the first device it kind based on new technology from Intel and Microsoft. The machine looks like a cut-down tablet PC and runs a tablet version of Windows XP. An innovative on-screen keyboard enables users to type on the move, and it is certainly easier to work on while standing than a laptop computer. But its battery life--about 3 hours--is no advance on current laptops. It's also fairly expensive. Samsung sells it for $1099 in the United States and for $1264 in South Korea. Here's PC World's review of the Q1 and another UMPC device.
Almost every PC maker in Japan has rolled out at least one living room PC over the last couple of years. These devices marry a Windows PC to a TV tuner; they also have multimedia software and come with a large LCD monitor. They are primarily aimed at people who live in small apartments where there isn't much room for both a PC and a television, and they have been fairly successful.
Now Sharp is trying the opposite with a TV that seeks to add Internet and PC functions. The Internet Aquos TVs have either a 32-inch or 37-inch display and come with a PC, a keyboard, and a remote. The PC can record video and comes with a 250GB or 500GB hard drive. You can access the Internet by pressing a button on the remote and browse broadband streaming services. The TVs go on sale in late May in Japan only and will cost between about $3100 and $5000.
Mac users are soon to get a software player for Sony's cool LocationFree TV system. Sony and Tokyo-based Kaga Electronics inked a licensing agreement that should make the software available soon, Kaga says. LocationFree is a Sony-developed technology platform that streams a live video signal from a base station to a hardware or software client. Users often employ the device to watch satellite or cable television broadcasts via their mobile device when away from home. Through the system, users are able to access and watch their living room video devices as long as there is a broadband connection between the base station and the client. Until now the only clients were for Windows XP and the PlayStation Portable, but the new deal will extend this to Apple Computer's Macs. Earlier this year Sony licensed the technology to Japan's Access with a view to development of players for cell phones and PDAs.
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
