Pioneer To Ship Combo HD DVD/Blu-ray Burner Next Year

[Ian]

Interesting...

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/01 ... _dvd_plan/

Further out, the BDR-103 will bring on board support for HD DVD, presumably recordable and rewriteable versions of the format as well as pre-recorded discs.

[dodecahedron]

good news! (if true...)

[Ian]

It's going to be expensive. I saw a quote somewhere of like 599 Euros. By the time it ships, you're probably going to be able to get a Blu-ray only drive for half that amount.

[dodecahedron]

after another 3-6 months that too will go down in price by half most likely.

[dolphinius_rex]

Well, just looking at the estimated retail prices for drives, we can already see significant price drops coming in just the next 6 months... so 1 year from now things will be quite different for sure. I could see BluRay drives at ~$300 quickly.

[dolphinius_rex]

Apparently the info about the BDR-103A is fake, or a misrepresentation of someones words at best.

I'd also like to recommend that a comment about it being rumoured be added to the news article if possible.

[Ian]

Where'd you hear that?

[MediumRare]

For what it's worth, I found an item at Heise about this drive (2 days old and before the item from the register). Thy're fairly specific about these plans, so I don't think it's a rumour.

They list the planned writing speeds (BD: 4x, DVD: 16x, CD-R: 32x), writing to HD-DVD is not mentioned. Their extrapolated price guess is < 500 euros (still out of my ballpark )

G

[dolphinius_rex]

Where'd you hear that?

A source close to Pioneer. I checked the news link and there is no mention of where or how the information was obtained about the BDR-103A either. I think that entire portion was completely made up.

Also, no other news site, including Heise has reported anything about it.

Maybe send an e-mail to Pioneer?

[Ian]

My one (reliable) contact at Pioneer is probably at IFA right now. I'll see what I can do.

[frank1]

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/77562

Spätestens mit der dritten Gerätegeneration sollen die Laufwerke auch HD DVDs lesen können

The news at heise.de says only
that the 3rd generation of these Pioneer burners will be able to read [= lesen] HD-DVD's

[dolphinius_rex]

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/77562

Spätestens mit der dritten Gerätegeneration sollen die Laufwerke auch HD DVDs lesen können

The news at heise.de says only
that the 3rd generation of these Pioneer burners will be able to read [= lesen] HD-DVD's

Check the update now posted on that link. The translation I got was pretty rough, but I think it said something about it being technically possible, but not politically possible?

[Ian]

Pioneer is really backpedalling...

Update: In the meantime Pioneer withdrew the statements of its product manager for optical drive assemblies regarding playing functions for the hp DVD again. “Everything that is technically feasible, is not also politically desired,” commentated Jürgen Timm of Pioneers Home Entertainment section the statements of its colleague. Thus Pioneer joins the confusion, which some months ago already Samsung and LG played: First combination drive assemblies are announced, in order to underline the role of the pioneer of the own enterprise, afterwards the statements are again disclaimed, in order to calm customers down. The reflexes are from view of the manufacturers understandably, finally could them for their customers hardly arrange that they are to spend now hundred euro on a Blu ray Player in the knowledge that already in one year devices come out, which support both formats and in addition are warscheinlich also still cheaper. (hag/c't)

[dolphinius_rex]

It sounds like Pioneer had internal discussions about wanting to include it in the BDR-103A, and probably even roadmapped it to some extent, but it probably all hinges on the political aspects, which have yet to be resolved. So until we hear differently about the licensing issues at hand, I think we should take announcements like these with a grain of salt.

[Ian]

Here's the official word from Brendan Sheridan at Pioneer Europe:

"Currently we have no plans to do so..... however, Pioneer will monitor the market situation with other
formats and will "consider" to adopt those formats as and where the market is demanding it".

It seems that my comments to some press people at IFA have been taken totally out of context and that it has been
concluded by themselves that Pioneer would be introducing HD DVD support into our future models !!!

So, the case still stands that way..... "Currently we have no plans to do so....."

[vinnie97]

much ado about nothing then. They can have fun with their war...I'll be watching the casualties pile up from the sidelines.

[dolphinius_rex]

Thanks for doing that Ian