Blu-Ray Still Trailing DVD

It’s strange to think that Blu-Ray has already been with us for fully four years, but we’ve already hit the point where we should be seeing the high-definition disc-medium start to supplant DVD.

Still, it seems that Blu-Ray is certainly doing well for itself. According to the Wall Street Journal, Universal Studios’ president is fairly pleased with the company’s sales of Blu-Ray. Universal’s sales were divided up between DVD and Blu-Ray with a 70:30 ratio in favour of DVD. It seems that Universal is fairly well pleased with the shift towards high-definition content, though many have been quick to highlight that Blu-Ray’s adoption isn’t anywhere close to matching that of DVD in its opening four years.

DiamonDisc DVDs to Last a Millenium

The average writeable DVD only lasts between two and five years, but for those looking for a little more permanence, it seems help is on the way from Cranberry in the form of a disc that should last 1,000 years.

While there are all kinds of reasons you might not particularly care that a writable DVD only has a shelf life of around half a decade, it seems as though the folks at Cranberry have gone the extra mile to make sure your backups are available several lifetimes after you’re gone. It’s certainly an interesting claim, and one that’s making waves among data longevity enthusiasts, but it’s not quite as simple as all that.

Ballmer Confirms Blu-Ray for Xbox 360

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has confirmed something that was once literally an offhand joke but seems a solid move now; we’ll see an Xbox 360 Blu-Ray drive, likely as an external rather than an internal device.

According to an interview over at Gizmodo, when Ballmer was quizzed about the likelihood of Microsoft putting a high-definition media drive into future models of the Xbox 360 itself, his response was to say that, “Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-Ray in there – you’ll be able to get Blu-Ray drives as accessories.”

Toshiba Goes Blu-Ray

In a move that signals the absolute end of a fight that has long since actually ended, Toshiba has crossed over to the dark side and started making products to play the Sony-backed Blu-ray format.

This time last year there may still have been some doubt as to which of the high definition disc formats would win what seems to be becoming the cyclical ‘format war’ for next-generation video. Toshiba’s HD-DVD though has long since been out of the running. While Blu-ray has won in any practical sense, the move by Toshiba to make devices that will play the opposing format serves as an effective full stop to the opening chapter of high definition video at home.