Movie director Michael Bay has claimed that Microsoft is responsible for the HD DVD vs Blu-ray Disc format war, which he alleges is the Beast of Redmond's attempt to kill off physical formats and get everyone downloading instead.
Here's Bay's comment, posted in a forum on his official website:
"What you don't understand is …
"(High definition DVD) is the last physical media format there will ever be"
That's not a plan, that's a prediction, and I quite agree. DVD is about 10 years old (commercially). Assuming the same life of BR/HD-DVD, and that home internet connections will grow at the same rate as the past 10 years, then he's bang on. Bill doesn't need either of the formats to fail. In fact they won't - either one will fail (unlikely), or a manufacturer will bite the bullet and release cheap multi-disc players (incredibly likely, it's the same laser after all contrary to popular belief).
Incredibly disappointing flame from Michael Bay, director of the best film this year IMO!
Perhaps I am oldfashioned, but when I buy something I like to be able to hold it.
Additionally, even though having a TB of storage in a computer is increasingly common, thats only 20 BD discs. Heck, my DVD collection easily surpasses a TB. Friends alone works out at 250Gb on DVD.
Bottom line, anyone who is going to buy a video of some description is probably going to want to buy the actual disc over a download.
I don't care how good quality a film is, I'm not going to pay double the price for it on a "next gen" format. Even if downloads take over it's still much easier to just buy off sky box office or sky movies. Seems like this will die out to me, just like betamax - vhs, playstation - dreamcast.
At the end I'm pretty sure even the most dumb user will get enough of it and find other useful ways of obtaining high definition media and share it with whoever s/he wants to.
downloads are the market 'they' all want: same prices, less chance for piracy, greatly reduced overheads...
iTunes have shown them the way. iTunes sell electronic tracks for about (in the UK anyway), the same as a CD. So i can sell multiple copies of the same thing, locked to machine xxx (i'll sell unlocked as well, but charge you more) minus all the overheads of cd production, distribution etc, etc.
Perfect model for films...
As for BD v HD DVD: - we're being shafted by someone!
As for porn deciding the format: - not anymore. Everyone downloads that for sure!
I agree. I also believe that they should get rid of region locking apart from the DRM.
> Incredibly disappointing flame from Michael Bay, director of the
> best film this year IMO!
Best film? My cousin, a longtime Transformer afficiando (been one since he was a mere toddler!), was sulking and moody after watching the film. Said it wasn't the transformer he knew.
btw CD, DVD both Sony. Almost Every thing you've watched on TV since the 80's was recorded & played back on Beta. Most CD's in the 90's were recorded on DATs.
I really don't care for the company but it's the truth.
Also the author either has never seen a HD Disc or has never whatched VHS tape.
I guess the main problem is that both BR and HD-DVD has drives available for personal computers. That way, eventually all movies will be ripped, one way or another.
They should have used a slightly different encoding and limit the market to hardware only players. That would also have eliminated the need for DRM.
But anyhow let's take a _realistic_ view at the HD-situation. Neither BlueRay or HD-DVD have any considerable amount of films. HDV and of course HDcam(SR) have way more movies available. Both formats are also DRM-free.
"Best film? My cousin, a longtime Transformer afficiando (been one since he was a mere toddler!), was sulking and moody after watching the film. Said it wasn't the transformer he knew."
Oh come on. It was a great visual-fest and stuck pretty close to the original story, bring it into the 21st century (Starscream as a Raptor!) throw in a few humourous nods to the originals (closing statement "with the humans, like us, there's more than meets the eye") and get the original voice actor for Prime and you've got a satisfied transformers fan - not to mention getting Hugo Weaving as Megatron. Genius. Not saying it will do well at Cannes or anything...
The article was very well written actually, balanced and fair and listing strengths and weaknesses of both formats... but as usual the comments portray a view more blinkered than a fanbois of the highest order.
Most CDs in the 90s where recorded on DAT, nope fraid not.
DAT, most friends in the recording industry used DAT to send rough mixes around (say to the coke addled record company execs that live on artists backs), or for sending session contributions, if the project didn't have the finances to cover trave & hotel expenses.
Most I know went from analogue tape to DAW
I personally loved the minidisc format and went through several Sony products (which my wife manages to break within moments of encountering the equipment)
...then they should put the cash into building a network infrastructure that can actually deliver that level of HD bandwidth direct to my house, at the same time as everyone else on my street watches something different.
Until we have an Internet so fast and ubiquitous that access is indistiguishable from physical media, physical media will not die. Unless he is willing to put real money where his mouth is, BillG's assertion remains as much a pipe dream as the paperless office.
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Movie director Michael Bay has claimed that Microsoft is responsible for the HD DVD vs Blu-ray Disc format war, which he alleges is the Beast of Redmond's attempt to kill off physical formats and get everyone downloading instead. Here's Bay's comment, posted in a forum on his official website: "What you don't understand is …
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Gates has as much admitted it, sort of...
Bill Gates has been quoted as saying:
"(High definition DVD) is the last physical media format there will ever be"
That's not a plan, that's a prediction, and I quite agree. DVD is about 10 years old (commercially). Assuming the same life of BR/HD-DVD, and that home internet connections will grow at the same rate as the past 10 years, then he's bang on. Bill doesn't need either of the formats to fail. In fact they won't - either one will fail (unlikely), or a manufacturer will bite the bullet and release cheap multi-disc players (incredibly likely, it's the same laser after all contrary to popular belief).
Incredibly disappointing flame from Michael Bay, director of the best film this year IMO!
Discs will never disappear
Perhaps I am oldfashioned, but when I buy something I like to be able to hold it.
Additionally, even though having a TB of storage in a computer is increasingly common, thats only 20 BD discs. Heck, my DVD collection easily surpasses a TB. Friends alone works out at 250Gb on DVD.
Bottom line, anyone who is going to buy a video of some description is probably going to want to buy the actual disc over a download.
Comfort over quality
I don't care how good quality a film is, I'm not going to pay double the price for it on a "next gen" format. Even if downloads take over it's still much easier to just buy off sky box office or sky movies. Seems like this will die out to me, just like betamax - vhs, playstation - dreamcast.
No DRM will win
At the end I'm pretty sure even the most dumb user will get enough of it and find other useful ways of obtaining high definition media and share it with whoever s/he wants to.
Oh, wait; there are ways of .....
It makes sense to me....
downloads are the market 'they' all want: same prices, less chance for piracy, greatly reduced overheads...
iTunes have shown them the way. iTunes sell electronic tracks for about (in the UK anyway), the same as a CD. So i can sell multiple copies of the same thing, locked to machine xxx (i'll sell unlocked as well, but charge you more) minus all the overheads of cd production, distribution etc, etc.
Perfect model for films...
As for BD v HD DVD: - we're being shafted by someone!
As for porn deciding the format: - not anymore. Everyone downloads that for sure!
@Message to the stooopid...
I agree. I also believe that they should get rid of region locking apart from the DRM.
> Incredibly disappointing flame from Michael Bay, director of the
> best film this year IMO!
Best film? My cousin, a longtime Transformer afficiando (been one since he was a mere toddler!), was sulking and moody after watching the film. Said it wasn't the transformer he knew.
Micheal Bay is probably right
Look at what there doing to the OLPC.
btw CD, DVD both Sony. Almost Every thing you've watched on TV since the 80's was recorded & played back on Beta. Most CD's in the 90's were recorded on DATs.
I really don't care for the company but it's the truth.
Also the author either has never seen a HD Disc or has never whatched VHS tape.
Going to bed with computer companies
I guess the main problem is that both BR and HD-DVD has drives available for personal computers. That way, eventually all movies will be ripped, one way or another.
They should have used a slightly different encoding and limit the market to hardware only players. That would also have eliminated the need for DRM.
But anyhow let's take a _realistic_ view at the HD-situation. Neither BlueRay or HD-DVD have any considerable amount of films. HDV and of course HDcam(SR) have way more movies available. Both formats are also DRM-free.
@ Shaun Hunter
"btw CD, DVD both Sony."
No. The CD was Philips, and the DVD is largely based on a Toshiba standard.
@AC
"Best film? My cousin, a longtime Transformer afficiando (been one since he was a mere toddler!), was sulking and moody after watching the film. Said it wasn't the transformer he knew."
Oh come on. It was a great visual-fest and stuck pretty close to the original story, bring it into the 21st century (Starscream as a Raptor!) throw in a few humourous nods to the originals (closing statement "with the humans, like us, there's more than meets the eye") and get the original voice actor for Prime and you've got a satisfied transformers fan - not to mention getting Hugo Weaving as Megatron. Genius. Not saying it will do well at Cannes or anything...
As Usual
The article was very well written actually, balanced and fair and listing strengths and weaknesses of both formats... but as usual the comments portray a view more blinkered than a fanbois of the highest order.
@Shaun Hunter (another)
Most CDs in the 90s where recorded on DAT, nope fraid not.
DAT, most friends in the recording industry used DAT to send rough mixes around (say to the coke addled record company execs that live on artists backs), or for sending session contributions, if the project didn't have the finances to cover trave & hotel expenses.
Most I know went from analogue tape to DAW
I personally loved the minidisc format and went through several Sony products (which my wife manages to break within moments of encountering the equipment)
Jerk
Michael Bay lost all credibility with me when he transformed a beloved children's cartoon series into American Pie with an overdose of CGI.
'Nuff said.
If MS really wants downloads to win...
...then they should put the cash into building a network infrastructure that can actually deliver that level of HD bandwidth direct to my house, at the same time as everyone else on my street watches something different.
Until we have an Internet so fast and ubiquitous that access is indistiguishable from physical media, physical media will not die. Unless he is willing to put real money where his mouth is, BillG's assertion remains as much a pipe dream as the paperless office.
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