The most interesting thing about HD-DVD is it's ability to perform in hybrid mode. The ability to place standard DVD on one side of the DVD and HD material on the otherside will really speed things up in its adoption as companies won't have to make two separate disks.
Inside Microsoft's decision to back HD DVD
By Ken "Caesar" Fisher
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Few were surprised when Microsoft (along with Intel) announced that they would back HD DVD over Blu-ray. While Microsoft's stance on the next-generation of optical storage media was officially neutral, their close working relationship with Toshiba led us to suspect that HD DVD would get the nod. The interesting question is, why?
It has been said that Microsoft simply wouldn't back something put out by Sony, but that argument doesn't have traction. First, Microsoft's VC-1 video codec is supported by both Blu-ray and HD DVD; there's no strategic edge there to speak of. Additionally, over-emphasizing the competition between the PlayStation and the Xbox ignores the fact that Sony and Microsoft have a substantial working relationship. Witness Sony's line of Vaio computers, as well as Sony's Microsoft-DRM-backed music store.
The decision to back HD DVD stems not from a dislike of Sony, but from the assessment of the maturity and consumer-friendliness of HD DVD. No, seriously.
Managed Copy: what is it, and what it isn't
First, a little Realpolitik. We all know about CSS, the encryption scheme used to "protect" DVDs from unauthorized copying. It was cracked (famously), and both Blu-ray and HD DVD are designed to be much, much harder to circumvent. While calling anything crack-proof is pretty foolish, phenomena such as the iTunes Music Store demonstrate quite clearly that many people are comfortable with DRM if it allows for some flexibility. That is, DRM isn't going anywhere, and even the most pointy-haired geek should see that.
Making copies of a DVD is technically illegal in the United States, because circumventing access controls is forbidden by the US Code, except in rare instances. The problem with this, of course, is that it violates our Fair Use rights as citizens, and it punishes those of us who abide by the rules, while the real pirates (organized crime) go on largely unabated.
Microsoft, among others, wants to see this changed.
Currently, HD DVD is the only next-gen format to provide for the ability to legally make copies of optical content. Dubbed "Managed Copy," HD DVD implements part of the AACS control mechanism to allow for things such as putting digital copies of a disc on a hard drive, transferring a movie (legally) to a portable player, or streaming content on a home network. Furthermore, HD DVD makes Managed Copy mandatory: all content provided on HD DVD must give users the option of making at least one copy. Jordi Ribas, director of technical strategy for the Windows Digital Media Division, told me that while the feature is mandatory, the studios will have the option of charging for it. Ribas hopes that studios will allow at least a single copy "for free," but it may be market conditions that ultimately determine the cost of such features. The take-away, at least, is that studios have to offer something, and AACS is structured in such a way that the studios can tap into it to offer users more options.
Furthermore, because Managed Copy is part of the AACS specification, this isn't a feature exclusive to Microsoft or Intel solutions. While both companies believe that their respective products (Media Center Edition, and Viiv, respectively) will shine in a world were Managed Copy is available, AACS defines a set of requirements that technically any company could aspire to, be it Apple, Motorola, or another player in the game.
What about Blu-ray? Currently, Blu-ray has announced no such mandatory support. There are also plenty of questions about whether or not Blu-ray will entertain this option. The Blu-ray Disc Association so far has adopted AACS conditionally; it is still subject to review. Furthermore, Blu-ray to date has adopted content protections above and beyond AACS, adding BD+ and ROM-Mark to their arsenal. Such added protections appear to be part of an appeasement plan: the studios want more than AACS protection, at least least some of them do. The doors haven't closed on Managed Copy for Blu-ray, but Ribas suspects that if it does show, it may be completely optional, to the extent that content producers may simply not offer it at all. It also remains unclear as to how BD+'s unique compliance rules could be made to work with AACS's managed copy scheme. In general, Ribas' view is that the BDA is uncommitted to Managed Copy. I expect to talk to someone in the BDA in the next few days.
Hybrid mode: drop-in upgrade?
Ribas also emphasized that HD DVD's hybrid support was ideal for consumers. As I noted yesterday, the idea is simple: if HD DVD discs can play standard definition content in already-existing DVD players, then the entire industry could theoretically switch to HD DVD printing quickly, and kill two birds with one stone. As you may know, a DVD is comprised of two discs that when bonded together are 1.2mm thick. Toshiba's current plan is to put SD content on one side of the disc, and HD content on the other side. In theory, this eliminates problems with older DVD players having difficulties focusing on dual-layer content on one side of the disc. With the costs of converting existing DVD production lines to HD DVD lines being significantly cheaper than supporting Blu-ray, HD DVD proponents see HD DVD as being a no-brainer. The "future proofing" of the format means everyone goes home happy, including consumers who buy DVDs next year that will play back in HD whenever they get around to upgrading their players two years from now.
Finally, Ribbas said that Microsoft's decision was made with respects to where things are today, not where the respective formats' proponents claim they will be in several months. Today, Ribbas says, HD DVD has bigger capacity, and true hybrid support. In his view, HD DVD is at 30GB, while Blu-ray is at 25GB. On paper, Blu-ray has 50GB support, but outside of a lab context, the 50GB disc is missing in action. How feasible is a 50GB disc in the short term? Once Blu-ray devices ship (such as the PS3), the base configuration will be established. If 50GB disc support isn't nailed by then, then Blu-ray on the consumer player-level will weigh in at 25GB. Toshiba is now pointing to 30GB as the standard HD DVD disc size, and they claim to have perfected the manufacturing process already. So we can expect 30GB HD DVD support at launch. Additionally, HD DVD supports hybrid discs now, while Blu-ray's solution has yet to be demonstrated.
Despite all of this, Ribas indicated that Microsoft was still holding out hope for a universal standard, but such a standard would necessarily need to support things such as Managed Copy and hybrid support.
One thing is clear to me now: HD DVD looked down and out, but it now looks quite promising. The question now is how will the studios react? Is it too little, too late?
