The War Is Over?

Well, maybe not really, but this chip could have a big impact on the war.

Maybe I should clarify which war I am talking about: The HD-DVD vs. Blue-Ray Disk war. This is very similar to the VHS vs. BETAMAX war--which I (sort of) remember.

My hopes are leaning strongly in the direction of Blue-Ray Disk; partly because it has a vastly greater capacity for data, and partly because it is not another stinking acronym.

Anyway, the story this post is really about is that a company called Broadcom has created a chip that can de-compress both formats at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. This means that you do not have to buy two players, or one of those clunky looking two-drawer players. It is all in one neat package.

Of course, this is only the chip--meaning there is no player yet. We'll just have to wait and see if it is really a marketable item for the industry, as well as to consumers. This, of course, relies on where the industry is heading in the next six months or so.

One of my questions about the product would be: Will it be implemented into the media drives in PCs? I don't want to be purchasing a laptop with the wrong format of drive, and have to purchase another external drive...

Possibilities...

LINK