Is Microsoft finally embracing Blu-ray?

Maybe you noticed already, but in the latest installment of Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" ad campaign, 11-year-old Jackson and his mother, Lisa, pick a 16-inch Sony Vaio notebook that's game-friendly and has something no Apple MacBook is offering: Blu-ray. When mother and son learn the Sony laptop has the feature, they practically give each other high fives, exclaiming in unison, "Blu-ray!"

I know this doesn't sound like a big deal--but it kind of is. For Microsoft, which was one of HD DVD's main supporters and fought Blu-ray tooth and nail till the bitter end, using Blu-ray (and, ironically, a Sony laptop) as a selling point in an ad is a sign that perhaps it's finally ready to bury the hatchet.

Somehow, I doubt this means we'll see Blu-ray in the XBox 360 anytime soon, but I'm sure a few folks out there wouldn't mind if Microsoft did offer a premium version of the 360 with a Blu-ray player for $100 more.

And heck, for the price of a MacBook Pro, it'd be nice if Apple also threw in a Blu-ray drive, no?

(Source: Blu-blog)

[tipoo_]

M$ already added Blu-ray support to Windows 7, and already added (or is going to?) blu-ray support to Vista...How can you say "Finally" embracing?


P.s the Vaio FW has a pretty hefty price premium for its specs, if M$ is using the price angle they should have went with a dell or something else ;-)

Really? I have Windows 7 installed on my media center, and while it does recognize the Blu-ray discs, all it does is exit media center and launch PowerDVD to play the movies. I hope the Blu-ray support in the final version of Windows 7 does a lot better than just handing Blu-ray playback off to another program.

[kojacked]

If tipoo_$ is saying that M$ has already embraced blue ray in a product they haven't released yet then tipoo_$ must be right because we all know how good tipoo_$ is at predicting the future. tipoo_$, can you give me the winning lotto numbers for next week?

[hafenbrack]

Based on your comment, it's WMP that will need to be updated to support Blu-Ray, not Windows 7, since it was recognized at all.

[tipoo_]

kojacked, theres a thing called beta's you know.


Not sure if i can post links here but:

http://keznews.com/4180_Microsoft_Adding_Sony_Blu-ray_Support_To_Windows

[fooldog01]

M$? Seriously? For future reference, "Orange you glad I didn't say banana" isn't clever either.

[BnBGobo99]

What's the deal with saying 'M$'... is everybody afraid typing MS or Microsoft will bring the wrath of Bill Gates?

[sweaty_taco]

BnBGobo99 ; fanboys think that all other mfg's, well...mainly Apple, make products for love. Not for money. I guess he just forgot to add the $ in $ony.

[tipoo_]

Funny how people are calling me a fanboy for using a dollar sign in MS, while i posted a POSITIVE comment about them.

[Nomadx68]

Their finally embracing it on their game system duh. The PS3 has had Blu Ray and if the Xbox 360 gets it they will be "finally embracing it"

Jeez don't freak out, its just an article lol

[Fil0403]

It's a Microsoft article, it has to have at least some negativism in it.

[hameiri]

I sure hope Microsoft is smarter than Apple on this. You're right, I didn't think about it. It does seem pretty radical that they would pick Sony and Blu-ray. Good catch!

I actually like OS X. I probably would have purchased a MacBook or Air. But, now they make them without Blu-ray, without HDMI and without firewire.

I'm a PC!!!

[blusky08]

With W7 coming this year, IF MS based systems with BR and HDMI start to proliferate it would start to make Macbooks look a much less flexible, up-to-date, future-proof choice.

[blusky08]

Also, if Apple were to add BR they'd have to either eat the cost or raise prices even further. It puts them in a very difficult position.

[mraardvark]

Steve Jobs may have been quite prophetic when he declared blu-ray a, ". . . bag of hurt," but only because they've chosen not use it. I suspect MS is going to beat apple over the head with this for next 6 month until apple relents and finds a way to gracefully backpedal on the subject.

[Bob Kakis]

BLU RAY IS OLD SCHOOL...

Blu Ray is so yesterday! Why do we need Blu-Ray? There is no need for Apple to backpedal on anything.

The only reasons one would want Blu Ray are for movies and storage.

Well, now one can download HD movies from iTunes, and, as for storage, external hard drives are far superior.

Blu-Ray is truly a "bag of hurt".

[Coonie1]

@ Bob Kakis

WOW...

...I really don't know what to say except that you must gobble up everything Steve-o throws at you.

[cpopken]

I don't think HD movies from itunes are going to look as good on my 55 inch TV than Blu-ray does. I am sure they look good on the computer or your ipod, but display them on a large screen and I think that is where you will see the advantage Blu-ray has over so-called HD downloads.

[pithenumber]

@Bob
HD from iTunes is more compressed than that of bluray thus it results in a lower quality movie

so bluray does have advantages

[oassaf]

Come on, there is a lot of need for blu-ray and DVD's...why should i connect my computer to my tv to watch a movie, or an Apple TV, media extender or whatever. You simply do not get the quality from that connection as you would from a dvd or blu-ray. The quality will be better, you get the extra features. Can you get scene selection on a movie downloaded from iTunes? Commentary? Extended/deleted scenes? Most movies come with digital copies so you can still get a decent quality version for you ipod, or whatever.

[ikcizokm]

I agree. Apple's biggest faux pas these last few years (other than the Time Capsule) is the complete lack of Blu-ray devices in their hardware. It's not even an OPTION, which is insulting. As a Mac fan, it's ridiculous that sub-$1k PC's have Blu-ray drives, but I can't get one in my $3k Macbook Pro.

Meanwhile, we've got rubes like Bob Kakis here who think downloaded HD content from iTunes somehow compares to the quality and clarity of Blu-ray. It's like comparing a Kia to a BMW, Bob. Sure, they're both cars, but one of them offers a decidedly superior experience.

That said, I'm not opposed to DLC--I still rent movies OnDemand for convenience. But I buy on Blu. It's not as if both technologies cannot co-exist. They can, and probably will for some time. It's not an all-or-nothing proposition here. It's choice.

I'd love the convenience of DLC to eventually usurp physical media, but that is at least a decade off or more in the US. We need faster, more widely-available broadband connectivity (62% of the US still has dial-up!) and faster, larger, improved storage methods. I'm talking 100mb download speeds and 500tb solid state drives, all at a reasonable price so as to be accessible. Until that becomes a reality, I'll enjoy my Blu-ray movies.

I think Microsoft is starting to realize this, too.

[traxx09]

The big difference between HD downloads and Blu Ray is the bitrate. Yes, the difference between 720p and 1080p matters but the bigger difference is that HD downloads are 6Mbps and Blu Ray is 40Mbps. To download a Blu Ray equivalent video would take a lot of bandwidth and a lot of time.

[Jon34511]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Apple was one of the initial backers of blu ray?

[coulterboyz]

Bob Kakis, That's simply ridiculous to say. Downloads cannot TOUCH Blu-Ray. And even your reasoning doesn't make sense. "The only reasons one would want Blu Ray are for movies and storage." Ya, I want my movies in the best quality, so I go Blu Ray!

[illegallydead]

@ Jon24511: Yes, Apple was one of the first backers of Blu-Ray, and I believe that they are on the advisory board or board of directors or something. However, they still do not include the drives (or even have OSX recognize the disks) as of yet.

[WeCanNotJudge10]

@ Bob Kakis

movies and storage are two great reasons for blu-ray. i personally have not seen a blu-ray movie yet but i heard that they are EXCELLENT. i would definitely be happy to pay some extra money for a laptop that has blu-ray support.

as for your hard drive comment, wouldn't you want to be safe and back up your data on a external hard drive AND a disc? DVD discs are nice for back up, but 4GB isn't very much. i would love to be able to back up a fourth of my hard drive on one disc.

[NProszkow]

I would agree with you 2 years ago when Blu was brand new and 200-500GB HDs were max. At the rate of magnetic storage growing, however, it would be a tough job backing up my 4 TB on 50 GB or even 100 GB Blu-ray discs.... Although the non-volitile storage is a plus assuming you don't scratch a disc.

[burthealey]

Blu-Ray is actually better than anything you're going to download from itunes right now. The "HD" movies on itunes use far more compression than a Blu-Ray Disc does. With video playback the less compression used, the better the picture quality (fewer digital artifacts, less blur, more reference pixels). when itunes says HD, what they mean is 720p resolution. 720p isn't bad by any means, but it's nowhere near as good as 1080p resolution that you'll get from a blu-ray disc.

[londawg02]

Not to mention DTS-Master Audio and the Extras you get on a disc! There's no way you can compare the picture & sound quality, even if downloads were to offer all of that, there goes your usage cap that many ISP's are starting to implement.

[ducttape36]

does apple's HD material even have 5.1 audio? Almost every HD streaming/download service I've seen offers only 2 channel audio and jsut focuses on 720p video. Nothing can compete with bluray quality at this time. period.

[Bob Kakis]

@Coonie1

I use PCs and Macs. This has nothing to do with Apple. The point is that Blu Ray is not the future. It will in no way last as long as traditional CDs and DVDs.

@burthealey

You are right! Eventually, however, one will be able to download 1080p resolution content in the near future.

@WeCanNotJudge10

Yes, 4 GB is not a lot. 25 GB is not a lot either. Once USB 3.0 kicks in, and SSD develops more, you will see small USB flash drives with very high storage capacities - Why burn a Blu Ray when you can transfer to a drive so much faster?

To me, Blu Ray is not worth the money, and I cannot see it having the life span of traditional DVDs. So, why bother?

Just my .02

Cheers!

[burthealey]

@Bob Kanis

You're correct that you'll eventually be able to download a full HD movie, but I doubt it will be eventually. The average person doesn't have the storage space or the bandwidth to download much of a collection of HD movies. I'd guess that a mass adoption of full HD downloads is 5-7 years off.

[viper396]

@Bob Kakis. Since you apparently believe you have the ability to predict the future why don't you do us all a favor and post next weeks winning lottery numbers? Until then your talk about how long a media format may last is just unfounded speculation. Your guessing. You aren't even looking at the full picture. USB 3.0 and SSD are irrelevent as the studios are not going to distribute HD movies on USB drives anytime soon. Bluray is a convenient,viable, and cheap method of distribution that doesn't require everyone to have a high-speed internet connection with an unlimited download capacity.

[Delta_1011]

This is ridiculous! When in America 3mb/s is the average connection speed do you really believe it will be more convenient to download a 12GB movie over the internet? You say portable flash media is the future? Well you may be right but Blu-Ray will have a long run since a 25GB disk is cheaper to produce than a 4GB flash drive.

[Shaun822]

As ISPs continue to clamp down on use rather than updating their infrastructure, I'm looking squarely at you Comcast, we won't have mass adoption of digital media for 10 - 30 GB movie files. And, like Delta_101 said, at the current speeds of most connections in America no one will want to take the time to download it. Also, I have had enough problems with data loss between hard drive crashes, and general computer problems that digital download is great for a rental but there is no way I would store my movie files digitally. And, lastly, I own 20 - 30 BR movies and 200+ DVDs, that amount of media would require me to spend quite a bit on updating my HDD or getting a couple external ones. I don't want to spend the money on the movies and then the storage solution too as my library continues to grow.

[BlitzBoy1120]

Ever heard of Bandwith Caps? Ever heard that Comcast has that? Ever heard that Comcast is the biggest ISP (or if I'm mistaken, largest Cable ISP)? Yeah, 10+GB movies aren't gonna go that well buddy. And manufacturing a Flash Drive costs more than making a disc. Besides price, I honestly don't see why Blu-Ray is a bad format.

[marcaz123]

Actually the good thing blue ray does is games and movies for big TVs. It is irrelevant on a 17inch laptop.

[pithenumber]

unless you plug it into your tv

[burthealey]

Actually, a good portion of laptops come with hi def resolutions once you get into the 17 inch size. Play a standard def video file and a high def video file, I guarantee that there is a difference, even on a 17 inch screen. I use my 17" laptop for hulu, (It's usually plugged into my tv via an hdmi port), and the difference between hulu standard def and hulu's high def (360p vs 480p I believe) is indeed noticeable, especially if you've got the video full screened.

[ikcizokm]

@marcaz123

Yes, because nobody would want a drive that could read and burn 50gb discs in their laptops except for gamers and movie buffs. I'm sure the guy designing a 40gb multimedia presentation to present to venture capitalists so his company can score another $100m in funding would never crave such a device. /sarcasm

[g_jamie]

Does Sony not have a point in this ad as well? Sure Microsoft dumped money into the ad to say how wonderful they are compared to Mac but they ended up buying a Sony VAIO Laptop equipped with Microsoft Windows in the end.

Sony = Blu-Ray, Microsoft = Windows OS

Who is to say Sony didn't dump money into the ad to insure it was a Sony equipped laptop with Windows and not a Dell or Acer Equipped with Windows...

If I paid to have my laptop on the ad and my Laptop also included a technology designed by my company with exclusive rights. I think I would ensure to flaunt that technology (Blu-Ray) into the ad. Whether it was joint (Microsoft + Sony) or single (Sony) commercial advertisement.

I wouldn't look to far into this...I have a feeling Microsoft is going to ride it out and see what the consumers are wanting when it comes time for the final specs of the new xbox. Hopefully they won't shoot themselves in the foot and go against the consumers, but I wouldn't say this ad implies Microsoft loving or accepting of Blu-Ray.

[The_Omega_Man]

This is the only comment here, that makes any real sense to me! Bravo!

[BnBGobo99]

You've got a great point there, g_jamie. I second the bravo!

[ddcool1124]

Yay somebody finally made some sense.
CNET articles seem to be written by idiots these days. I miss the old CNET of the 90s.

[mraardvark]

1080p on a laptop isn't worth much, but if I drop 25-30$ for a blu ray movie to watch at home on the big screen with a blu ray drive in a laptop I can use the same disk to watch that movie next time I fly somewhere. Or skip buying a blu ray player all together and just plug it via hdmi to watch it while being play on the computer. want to barrow a movie from a friend, just ask for the disk.

In other words DRM rapped downloads, are a pain to move around.

and with physical disk when they release Star Wars in HD those poor souls with monthly download caps won't have to skip checking there email for a month to keep it in budget.

and my friends out in rural Idaho with only pipe dreams of high speed internet, can still enjoy HD movies.

Digital downloads are the future, but not the present. (and hopefully available from more places than iTunes . . . I loath iTunes)

[wizardb]

blu ray is almost dead why would you waste your time and money DRM loaded POS

[question4seller]

blu ray sucks, i can care less about it in my ps3 and i deff. don't need it in my laptop... I would never spend $25-30 on one movie, and yes i do have an hdtv, but i already pay for cable tv and it comes w. hd channels. How many times are you really going to watch the same movie, once, twice ?? Sony just overprices just about everything they sell...

[ywkhgqo]

the fact is buddy that the PS3 couldn't play any of its games without blu-ray.
And go look on amazon. A lot of movies sell for under twenty bucks.

Most of the movies i own i've seen 4-5 times thank you very much

[Shaun822]

I watch every movie I own at least 4 or 5 times. In the case of movies like the Godfather and the Dark Knight i have watched them an uncountable number of times each. And, ywkhgqo is right, if you have good shopping sense you can find good BR movies for 15 dollars.

[notlehs]

"Sony just overprices just about everything they sell.." ... Yeah and yet they are still (AT LEAST) $500 cheaper than a Macbook Pro...with the Sony having better features and including HDMI and a Blu-Ray drive. That is the point of the AD! I have to say that Microsoft and Sony have a home run of an AD. BTW Microsoft picked Sony for one Reason... Quality. Sony generally makes the highest quality products and charges a premium for them... The underlying message is that you can even get a Sony and save money from paying the "Apple Tax". Brilliant.

[JCPayne]

They just weren't cool enough to support blu-ray.

[anhtney]

blu ray prices will eventually come down to DVD prices, so people, stop complaining about the price of blu-ray

[Shaun822]

Thank you for pointing that out. When I adopted DVD waaaay back in the day I was paying 25 or 30 dollars a movie and had a 450 dollar player. That sounds awfully familiar to Blu Ray now. Also if you look at the percentage of homes in America that are adopting Blu Ray the percentage is actually higher in an earlier part of the lifecycle than DVD was. DVD actually had only about 2/3 the adoption rate at the same point in the lifecycle that Blu Ray has right now. I just don't see the overnight explosion of Blu Ray the way DVD took off overnight, because the number of HD television sets hasn't taken off at an astronomical rate either.

[Pride73170]

What's all the hubbub about being a PC or a Mac? Wouldn't your rather be a penguin? Penguins are cute and cuddly! Keep it on the down-low, but their software is...(gulp) free, and better than Vista and OSX. I'm a Penguin! You know you want to be one too!

[blusky08]

The idea of a free, open source OS is great. But right now, the reality is less so.
If you have some programming ability and want to spend half your life searching help forums, then being a Penguin is for you. If you want plug n' play with centralized support and development then you have to pay for it.

[Raziel66]

Linux is fine for the hip and cutting edge, but at the end of the day I need to get work done and that requires an operating system with support from major companies and vendors. Until Linux offers something worthwhile, I'll continue to use one of the more prevalent operating systems.

[Alex7980]

MS will anything it can to make money and try to beat apple. It's business people.

[pithenumber]

yes, MS will do that
they are a public company, their goal in the end is to earn money and please the shareholders like most other companies out there

[hslakaal]

talk about squeezing the budget....

a vaio that costs $1429?

[MrMurder]

Hslakalaal, that VAIO is a high-end model. And yes it would be nice for Apple to throw Blu-ray into their Macs. I doubt that will happen until Apple releases Snow Leopard. If they did put Blu-ray drives in ttheir Macs, you'd have to dual-boot Vista on them, since XP or Leopard can't support it. Besides, I'm trying to find a cheap Blu-ray burner.

[netjoe]

yo MrMurder XP Sp2 and higher does support blu-ray you just need powerdvd9 or windvd9 and nero 9 gives you full blu-ray authoring support. Go look up the minumum requirements.

[Tinman52]

Cnet blogs just making **** up. Fun!

[illegallydead]

hahaha I think it's hilarious that no matter what the article is about, it will always decend into a Microsoft vs. Apple hate-fest. It makes for good humor, actually :D

[Fil0403]

Agreed, it seems that some people (mainly Apple sheeps) are finding it hard to hear and face the hard truth.

[Fil0403]

Yes, Microsoft is (finally or not) embracing Blu-ray. That is more than can be said for Apple. So much for being innovative. At least it's coherent with their policy of charging much for little.