Converting DVD Into HD DVD
Software for Multicore Computers Could Add Resolution to Video in Real Time.

By KATE GREENE
June 26, 2007

Researchers at Intel have developed an algorithm that, by leveraging the power of multiple microprocessors, can boost the resolution of a video as it plays in real time. The technology, called super resolution, can run on machines with as few as two cores and as many as hundreds, potentially letting people enhance video captured with a cheap webcam, improve old home movies, or turn a DVD-quality video into a high-resolution flick.

Intel's super-resolution research is part of the company's push to find the best applications to run on its multicore machines, says Jerry Bautista, codirector of Intel's tera-scale computing research program. While multicore computers--machines with more than one processing core--are currently available to consumers in dual- and quad-core varieties, Intel has a research-grade microprocessor with 80 cores. (See "The Promise of Personal Supercomputing.") And as researchers get closer to their goal of achieving tera-scale computing on desktop computers--in which trillions of calculations per second are enabled by massively multicore systems--the company is ramping up its software research; improving video quality using multicore machines is one of the top priorities on Intel's to-do list, says Bautista.

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First Look: LG Drive Offers Up Blu-ray and HD DVD
The first PC drive to burn Blu-ray Disc media and play HD DVD discs costs a bunch.

Melissa J. Perenson, PC World
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 3:00 PM PDT

LG breaks down the barrier between the competing high-definition optical formats with its GGW-H10NI Super Multi Blue Blu-ray DVD drive, the first drive for PCs that can both write to Blu-ray Disc media and read HD DVD discs. However, you'll pay a steep price for gaining the peace of mind of having a drive that handles both formats: The GGW-H10NI's list price is a whopping $1199--just $100 less than LG's BH-100 combo-format player for living rooms.

The GGW-H10NI can write to 25GB single-layer and 50GB double-layer Blu-ray Disc media (both write-once and rewritable discs). The drive boasts some impressive spec ratings: 4X for BD-R single-layer write speed; 2X for BD-R double-layer, as well as for BD-RE (rewritable) single- and double-layer; 8X for DVD-R/+R; 4X for DVD-R/+R double-layer; and 16X for CD-R/RW. And, of course, it can play all of the Hollywood HD DVD movies now shipping, in addition to Blu-ray movies (assuming you have an HDCP-certified system with beefy specs and an HDCP monitor).

The drive is the first to support 4X BD-R writing, and the boost from 2X--the norm on competing Blu-ray drives--to 4X makes a tremendous difference in performance. Achieving improved real-world results will be tricky for a while, though, as the only media available today is rated at 2X, and media manufacturers say we won't see 4X BD-R media until mid-to-late third quarter. As we saw with DVD, we learned that you can achieve faster Blu-ray write speeds on slower media--but such performance tends to be brand specific.

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Microsoft: HD DVD drive is 360's most successful accessory

by GamePro Staff | 06/26/2007 | 11:44:45 AM PST

New facts concerning the sales figures of the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive may breathe new life into Toshiba's proprietary format just yet.
By Eugene Huang

While Blockbuster dealt something of a deathblow last week to HD DVD by standing strictly in Blu-ray's corner, Toshiba's seemingly down-and-out format may be in better shape than expected just as long as sales figures for the Xbox 360 are taken into consideration.

A piece on U.K.'s CNET reports that Microsoft has so far sold 155,000 HD DVD drives for the Xbox 360, making it the console's "biggest-selling accessory". However, the company refrained from revealing statistics of how well their product is selling worldwide.

But according to the same report, other regions of the world may actually end up being HD DVD's saving grace. Even if Blu-ray eventually becomes the industry standard for the U.S., the site hypothesizes that other sections in the world, such as the U.K. and the rest of Europe, may end up embracing HD DVD simply due to the cheaper costs involved with manufacturing its discs.

Although the report does not cite sources, CNET claims to have talked with executives from a number of companies that currently back HD DVD, and in their estimation, independent film studios may end supporting the format because of their geographical and financial distance from mainstream Hollywood studios. And because cost-saving measures are vitally important to most independent studios, HD DVD might not be so endangered after all.

IDC - June 20, 2007

While DVD burners will continue to be the dominant volume product of the optical/removable storage market until 2011, due to commodity prices and almost universal compatibility, next-generation drives are ramping up, according to IDC. Significant momentum is building behind the blue laser formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD).

Marketing activities of both camps are accelerating, and more and more companies are joining one of the two or both format groups.

"Similar to DVD and DVD burners, blue laser DVD will need a three- to five-year ramp to reach mass-market volumes," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for Removable Storage at IDC. "HD DVD needs to aggressively push volumes to neutralize BD's advantage in support from consumer electronics (CE) and content companies."

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By Frederick Lane
June 19, 2007 4:21PM

Blu-ray might have beaten HD DVD at Blockbuster, but who will win the Blu-ray/HD DVD fight for the enterprise? Although Blu-ray discs offer greater capacity, the HD DVD format has been perceived as having an edge in the corporate space, in light of the fact that its components and discs are generally less expensive.

In the ongoing format battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD, the main focus has been on consumer applications, and in particular, the home movie market. This week, in fact, Blockbuster announced plans to increase the availability of Blu-ray discs in its stores. The video rental company said that customers were favoring the Sony-backed format over the Toshiba-sponsored HD DVD, leaving many quick to suggest that this marks the beginning of the end of the latest format war.
Others, however, suggested that Blockbuster's announcement is much ado about nothing, given the diminishing role of video rental in general. They argue that a far more significant factor is the cost of the players for each format.

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