Underneath the Hood

There is a war being fought right now. A war between HD-DVD and Blue-Ray. Most people don’t know it; neither would most people care about such battles of technology. People are simply happy when things come in the package working. Very few people care what is underneath that makes the machine work.

That is also largely how people regard the machinery of souls. No one really wonders what is underneath; most people just want to see a smiling face. People avoid strangers with tears. People don't even like someone who looks unhappy - maybe afraid the unhappiness would spread like a disease. Most of us simply want people come in functioning, happy, productive. No one knows how that happiness came about, no one cares how it works, so no one knows really how to fix the unfortunate damaged ones. Maybe that is why I see more and more empty smiling faces rather than honest sadness. No one is broken, all is well.

That is the stance Microsoft has taken with their technology for years. Nothing is broken, all is well. Windows XP and 98 are nothing more than patch jobs stringing programs together - codes, bugs, and holes. War is about mobility, supply, and force. A million line of codes doesn't do much if it is locked up on a desktop and limited in interaction. The age of desktop is coming to an end. The mobility of internet and global connectivity has already been recognized by google. Google Earth made us see that software can run fast and elegant remotely. Gmail let us check email anywhere with internet. The dependence on desktop to run and control various programs is more and more an out-dated ideology. People at work wants to access information on their home computer. People at home wants to access program on office stations. They don't want to worry about computer version, memory, complicated Network Connections, nor compatibility. People want things to work. That is why web-run standard will replace desktop.

Microsoft realizes this, which is why the company has been branching out. They pushed Microsoft Online Music store, MSN instant messenger, Microsoft Ad Sense, and X-Box. It is an ugly gorilla war out there. Being such a big and slumber object, it wanted to diversify. We are no longer in the castle age, there is no point in holding one strategic location because the cannon would easily find you and breach the walls. Microsoft is changing.

Yet despite its change. Microsoft didn't modify its flawed ideology in competition. Microsoft doesn't support better products; it destroys them and drags the technology back down to its level, where it can hold the market with simple weight. Here is where HD-DVD format comes in.

In terms of Capacity: Blue-Ray wins
HD currently has a capacity for 30gig and theoretical limit of 60 gig for double side. While Blue-Ray has a capacity for 100gig and theoretical capacity of 200gig for 8-bit layer.

In terms of Speed: Blue-Ray wins
At the same rotation speed, Blue Ray will transfer 12x vs HD of 9x.

In terms of Backers: Blue-Ray wins
Disk format is only good if company make and produce with them, that is why it is important to mention who will produce which format. Blue-Ray is backed by DELL, HP, Hitachi, LG-Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK, Thomson, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Texas Instruments, Sun Microsystems, the game giants Electronic Arts, and Vivendi Universal Games. While the only major backers for HD are Toshiba, Sanyo, NEC, and now Microsoft and Intel.

In terms of durability: Blue-Ray wins
TDK’s hard coating on Blue-Ray will provided with the 0.1 mm coating will be even more resistant against damage then current DVDs. While HD-DVD will be the same as current DVD.

In terms of cost: ?
Unknown, since the product is not sold yet. However, Blue-Ray will cost more because it is a new technology while HD-DVD simply build on existing technology.

So if Blue-Ray is so much better why would Microsoft back HD-DVD? Well, for one thing, Microsoft has to think of Microsoft XBox vs Sony PlayStation. By undermining the better technology that will produce money for Sony, Microsoft will have an easier time wining the Game Consul war at the other front. In the end, consumers like us are the ones getting hurt. The dragged out Format War will cause some people to buy recording device for both format. Company would have to waste money upgrading both ends. Even worse, there is always a chance the better format will loose. Ultimately, it will confuse a lot of people who simply want things to work. People would wonder why their Blue-Ray drive doesn't play HD-DVD and vise versa.

In the end, you have the power to decide who wins. Every purchase you made is a direct vote. I could go on to say, "use your power wisely", but really, who cares if a computer drive doesn't work in comparison to a person. In the grand scheme of things, take care of the people first. Ultimately it might be better to use the 2.99 you would spent on a disc to treat a friend with a cup of cafe latte and just talk the afternoon away.

Learn more about Blue-Ray vs HD-DVD

[Technology][Thoughts]