Another DVD Variant rears its ugly head

[bugster]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=15194

A REPORT in the Taiwan Economic News said that Microsoft may back a format for optical storage proposed by major manufacturers on the island.
The Taiwan DVD Forum presented its Forward Versatile Disc plans, which apparently include formats of 6GB for a single sided single layer disc, and 11GB for a dual layer disc.

The FVD format is based on the red laser technology currently used for DVDs and CDs.

According to the report, Microsoft is backing this disc format, so far adopted by 29 Taiwanese firms, and the local manufacturers are hoping to persuade mainland Chinese manufacturers to follow their lead.

[jeex]

bleh.. 6gb single layer, 11gb dual layer? there's plenty of "new formats" out that whomp that.. what a waste.. maybe microsoft has a hardon for it because has good DRM..

[Capmaster]

I would think Microsoft would be forward-looking enough to embrace and support something really practical, like HD DVD or Blu-Ray where the capacity is much better. Going with a new format just to get a 40% or whatever increase doesn't sound too smart. Of course, Billy Boy invested in the Iridium-esque satellite network for satellite phones and that whole thing tanked

[wulf109]

A format that increases capcity by 25% and maintains compatibility with with all existing DVD equipment is far better than a completely in-compatible format that will require replacing all hardware and software.
A return to dual software inventories and dual hardware is just plain stupid.

[flaninacupboard]

what makes you think it's compatible with current hardware? the article doesn't say that.

[DereX888]

Too late, too small.
And one general rule is aginst it as well: whatever Msoft backs up - it'll fail miserably sooner or later. Unless ofcourse it will become 'built-in' Windows feature, with all possible deliberate troubleship for any other competing formats (thats another usual built-in feature in Msoft's programs as we all know), otherwise its doomed already.

No interest and no wories about this weird 'new fomat' here lol

[jeex]

what makes you think it's compatible with current hardware? the article doesn't say that.

very good question.. its based on the same technology, but that doesnt mean its compatible.. if this were compatible with existing dvd players, it might not be such a bad thing.. as long as the general public had the ability to record their own single & dualyer fvd discs..

i just dont want a format where users where users arent allowed to exercise their fair use rights.. thats what kind of worries me with hd-dvd & bluray.. if there is a copy protection, will it be cracked? will we be able to make 1:1 copies?

i know dvd isnt yet capable of making 1:1 copies off all dvd titles, but thats right around the corner..

if i cant make backups of my movies/games/software, then i wont support it.

[vcdforme]

You're joking right!
Microsoft!!! Be afraid....be very afraid.

Of course, it's already part of the original spec, to insert
a non-microsoft disc, will result in the laser erasing previously
finalized discs. Hey! It's the Microsoft way!

And.. of course the Microsoft brand disc will reset the "auto-insert"
function on your computer, and upgrade your computers for you too.
You won't even have to ask. Fun Fun Fun

FVD---F**king Venereal Disease.

thanks but I'll wait for the chinese EVD.

[flaninacupboard]

Don't forget of course, before inserting your new disc you have to call microsoft to let them know what disc you're using, why, and how long for!

[Gil T Pleasure]

First there was DVD.
Then came EVD.
And now FVD.
It's just a matter of time before someone comes up with GVD.

I should mention that there's already a BVD.

[bugster]

First there was DVD.
Then came EVD.
And now FVD.
It's just a matter of time before someone comes up with GVD.

I should mention that there's already a BVD.

You forgot CVD already exists too

AVD anyone?

[indolikaa]

These must be the same geniuses who though DD-CD and HD-Burn were going to revolutionize the industry...

[Gazorgan]

How about BFD?

Blah, I can't wait until M$ goes ballistic. Soon, someone will produce a 'DRM Stripper' and every WMV out there will fall apart.

[indolikaa]

But if someone did, would that be warez?

[SatStorm]

That's why I bet that DVD gonna stay for more than 20 years in the market...
I'll be about 50 years old that time, so I have plenty of time to convert my VHS tapes to DVD before re-convert them to whatever we gonna use at that time!

[jntaylor63]

EVD, FVD, BSVD, ect won't do sh*t except in their own little world if Hollywood doesn't back it with movies. It looked like AOD was going to be the choice for HD-DVD, but now Hollywood wants to wait and have another look at Blu-Ray. I was on board with AOD and with the mpeg2 / h.264 and WMV codecs. But given, MS past I'm not so sure. Blu-Ray will use HighDef Meg2 that fits to the HDTV standards. (And time to come up with some super-protection.)

But, who knows. The world may just have to have many formats to get their HighDef fix.

[flaninacupboard]

any copy protection system is pointless. really. with computers still getting faster (i remember hearing "a PC will never be as fast as five or six hundred megahertz, they'd start emitting microwaves!!") the power of enthusiast machines by the time a HD format hits the market will be overwhelming. remember the way you needed a "really amazing" pc or a hardware card to play DVD's when they first came out? show me any HD format, and i know my PC could play it back.

well, i want to be right on that, so i'm just encoding an mpeg2 file at 1440X1152 at 50Mbps to check. i'll give a Divx file that resolution a quick try as well. (wow, watching TMPGenc eat my RAM rather fast!!)

Ok, so my machine couldn't play back a file at 50mbps (but i don't know how high HiDef is likely to be) and it was amazingly slow to encode (the Divx encoded really quickly in comparison!) but you get my point. there'll be more than enough comuting power on my desk in three years time to crack anything they come up with today. plus of course, they then need to pack stupid amounts of processing power into their players, driving up the price, making people more likely to try and pirate stuff!