14 DAY TRIAL // HP (Hewlett Packard), the world's second largest personal computers manufacturer, announced that it will change its next generation DVD format support politics, becoming neutral. Therefore, HP will sustain both HD DVD and Blu-ray. The company made this decision following Blu-ray's denial of embedding the iHD technology in its discs.
Aiming at the "enemy's camp", HP stated that the HD DVD format is more cost efficient than Blu-ray. Also, joining the HD DVD Promotions Group and continuing the collaboration with Blu-ray Disc Association will allow HP to be better positioned on the market, offering competent solutions for the consumers.
Because HP exclusively supported the Blu-ray format in the past, the company asked BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) to adopt in the new format two new technologies, namely mandatory managed copy and iHD, which were already included in the HD DVD format.
BDA accepted to include in its format only the mandatory managed copy technology, which allows consumers to legally copy video content from the disc. The iHD technology allows content providers to offer a higher level of interactivity. Moreover, iHD enables users to record HDTV programs and to move the digital content over many devices in a house.
Hewlett Packard considers that mandatory managed copy and iHD are important for the future's digital house, especially that they are now embedded in the HD DVD format.
Microsoft has also announced its plans to integrate iHD support in its next operating system, Windows Vista, to be launched at the end of 2006.
As for the supporters of the two formats, it is known that seven out of eight major Hollywood studios back up the Blu-ray format. But two of the seven Blu-ray supporters plan to back up the HD DVD format as well. Therefore, we can safely say that both format are almost equally now, in terms of supporters.