OT: Another new high def DVD format

rs170a wrote on 9/20/2006, 7:01 PM

Came across this on the CBC news site tonight.

"Warner has filed a U.S. patent for a DVD that would simultaneously store information in the competing Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD high-definition formats."

Mike

Comments

p@mast3rs wrote on 9/20/2006, 7:20 PM

IMO, this whole next gen DVD stuff is crap. From the way marketing and production has been handled, it has made a possible kick ass format/future look bleak.

Personally, I get awesome playback from my hard drive and I can output to HDTV from my vid card already. No need for over priced player.

fldave wrote on 9/20/2006, 7:32 PM

Seems kind of late to the HD-DVD/Blu-ray game. Those specs are already in production. First step for a common player, though.

May be included in the Mondo-Ultra-HD-Blue-Red-DVD spec.

farss wrote on 9/20/2006, 7:47 PM

How can such a patent application succeed? This one is up there with the Laser Pointer Cat Exerciser, which BTW doesn't work, cats aren't as stupid as the attorneys at the US patent office.

Sony's existing SACD technology already does just that.

fwtep wrote on 9/20/2006, 8:51 PM

farrs, in answer to how this patent application would succeed, it's no problem. This patent would be for a modification or improvement of existing technology. Not all patents are for entirely new things. Or it could be a patent for the specific way that it's done.

farss wrote on 9/20/2006, 9:22 PM

I only too well realise that it probably will succeed and that's what's wrong. It's an obvious idea but it doesn't adress the issue of how it could be done, the devil is in the how, not the idea. In the end granting such a patent serves to stiffle innovation not promote it which is the original idea of patents.
Let's say I have worked out the how part, now I at the very least have to pay Warner a licence and for what, simply because they registered an obvious idea. If they can register this then how about this idea.
Recording 2 hours of high definition video onto a 3.5 inch floppy disk. Floppy disks are very cheap to duplicate, almost everyone can access them and unlike 12cm optical disks they fit in a pocket.
Now if I'd actually worked out how to do this, sure I deserve a patent. I don't deserve a patent for an obviously desirable idea that I haven't got a clue how to do.