2006 January 09

While the debate over best browser for Windows is still hotly debated among both Firefox fanatics and Opera enthusiasts, there is little doubt that Opera reigns supreme in the world of portable browsing. (…)

Blu-ray:

Format developed by Apple, Dell, Disney, Sony, HP, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK, 20th Century Fox, and more

Single-layer discs can hold ~25GB

Dual-layer discs can hold ~50GB

Spec includes support for multi-layer discs

Flavors include BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE (rewritable)

1x speed is defined as 36Mbps

Discs are NOT backwards compatible with today's DVD players

Higher-cost hardware compared to HD DVD

It's not Blue-ray, it's Blu-ray (for trademark purposes)

HD DVD:

HD DVD has been standardized by the DVD Forum (international association of 200+ companies)

Single-layer discs can hold ~15GB

Dual-layer discs can hold ~32GB (under development)

Discs will play in all currently-deployed DVD players

Single-layer discs hold

Spec includes “managed copy” function, making DRM licencees happy

Backed by Microsoft, which will release an Xbox 360 HD DVD kit in 2006

20GB, HD resolution: over 5.5 hours

Sports a single-lens optical head (for more compact devices)

This is gonna be another pissing match, and consumers are going to lose. (…)