I think Apple will wait, but Blu Ray will be the format that wins because nothing has affected it's dominance. Not even the universal switch has dented it, nor did the Transformers HD-DVD.
Apple will do what other larger Neutral companies will do. They will wait until Universal players are available and choose a drive. Don't expect it anytime soon. Leopeard doesn't have the DRM support necessary for movie playback.
Look for Apple to get in the game when they can buy
HD DVD/Blu-ray drives for playback
HD DVD/Blu-ray drives for recording
Neither format is contending with DVD at all. So there is no rush.
The fact that they are essentially the same technology (blue lasers) has always left me wondering why it has to be one or the other. Software can surely fill in the gaps.
If I had to choose, I would go with Blue Ray, as it supports much higher capacities. On a computer, this is the winning ticket.
Apple is a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association. I'm not sure what their offical stance on HD DVD is.
They've been a member of the DVD Forum for a while. They have basic HD DVD authoring support in DVD Studio Pro 4 so Apple is firmly neutral as they should be.
Apple is committed to both emerging high definition DVD standards?Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Apple is an active member of the DVD Forum which developed the HD DVD standard, and last month joined the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Apple needs a few things to happen.
1. They need to add AACS and BD+ support in Leopard.
2. They need affordable HD Optical drives and a slot loader (Blu-ray has one from Panasonic). Desktops should favor Universal HD DVD/Blu-ray player/recorder. Laptops will likely favor single blue laser formats.
3. Chipset help which is coming in Q2 of next year in a Intel Eastlake MB which supports HDCP on HDMI and Displayport and DVI as well as implicit HD DVD/Blu-ray support in other areas.
I would expect Apple will need to revamp the hardware lineup to include security/DRM hardware for the CPUs and displays. At that point they can add HD-DVD/Blu-Ray playback and add the drives.
I would expect Apple will need to revamp the hardware lineup to include security/DRM hardware for the CPUs and displays. At that point they can add HD-DVD/Blu-Ray playback and add the drives.
The CPU doesn't need explicit support. The video path from Optical-->chipset--> Output needs to support the DRM. My guess is that AACS and BD+ have to be done in software so that they can be modified at will.
The fact that they are essentially the same technology (blue lasers) has always left me wondering why it has to be one or the other. Software can surely fill in the gaps.
The modulation is different in Blu-Ray, and there is another lens in the Blu-Ray optics, so it's not just a matter of having the same laser.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison
2. They need affordable HD Optical drives and a slot loader (Blu-ray has one from Panasonic). Desktops should favor Universal HD DVD/Blu-ray player/recorder. Laptops will likely favor single blue laser formats.
The cost of the optional DVD drives was higher when Apple started offering them.
Comments
Look for Apple to get in the game when they can buy
HD DVD/Blu-ray drives for playback
HD DVD/Blu-ray drives for recording
Neither format is contending with DVD at all. So there is no rush.
If I had to choose, I would go with Blue Ray, as it supports much higher capacities. On a computer, this is the winning ticket.
Apple is a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association. I'm not sure what their offical stance on HD DVD is.
They've been a member of the DVD Forum for a while. They have basic HD DVD authoring support in DVD Studio Pro 4 so Apple is firmly neutral as they should be.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/apr/17hd.html
Apple is committed to both emerging high definition DVD standards?Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Apple is an active member of the DVD Forum which developed the HD DVD standard, and last month joined the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Apple needs a few things to happen.
1. They need to add AACS and BD+ support in Leopard.
2. They need affordable HD Optical drives and a slot loader (Blu-ray has one from Panasonic). Desktops should favor Universal HD DVD/Blu-ray player/recorder. Laptops will likely favor single blue laser formats.
3. Chipset help which is coming in Q2 of next year in a Intel Eastlake MB which supports HDCP on HDMI and Displayport and DVI as well as implicit HD DVD/Blu-ray support in other areas.
I would expect Apple will need to revamp the hardware lineup to include security/DRM hardware for the CPUs and displays. At that point they can add HD-DVD/Blu-Ray playback and add the drives.
The CPU doesn't need explicit support. The video path from Optical-->chipset--> Output needs to support the DRM. My guess is that AACS and BD+ have to be done in software so that they can be modified at will.
The fact that they are essentially the same technology (blue lasers) has always left me wondering why it has to be one or the other. Software can surely fill in the gaps.
The modulation is different in Blu-Ray, and there is another lens in the Blu-Ray optics, so it's not just a matter of having the same laser.
2. They need affordable HD Optical drives and a slot loader (Blu-ray has one from Panasonic). Desktops should favor Universal HD DVD/Blu-ray player/recorder. Laptops will likely favor single blue laser formats.
The cost of the optional DVD drives was higher when Apple started offering them.