Plugged-in boss puts spark back in Sony
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-23 10:16
To win end-users, Sony has rallied the support of many vendors. "We have 90
per cent of the film companies behind us. And we have the majority of
audio-video manufacturers and computer makers."
Hollywood majors such as
Disney have announced video releases in the Blu-ray format.
Sony has a
lot of weight to throw around in Tinseltown as its own studio Sony Columbia
Pictures has gained profitability and respectability with blockbusters such as
the "Spiderman" franchise. However, by releasing movies on both formats, studios
like Warner have refused to take sides.
Among supporters of Toshiba's
HD-DVD standard are computer juggernauts Microsoft and Intel. Disks of both
formats store more content and enable better sound and picture quality than
conventional DVD discs.
Chubachi insisted that the Blu-ray format has
larger capacity than HD-DVD, but ultimately it will be "content" that will
determine which may survive. "For a consumer electronic product, it is the
availability of content that determines the result."
Chubachi did not
want to speculate whether both formats may coexist. "That is something only the
consumers can decide." But he reasoned that the rivalry would probably come to
an end in two years. "It won't happen this year, but next year we'll see the
shakeout."
Additional factors that will help Sony put Blu-ray on top,
according to Chubachi, are its computer and game platforms. Its PlayStation3
game console will come equipped with Blu-ray and broadband connection, which,
though priced higher, will boost its attractiveness. Its Vaio notebook
computers, a favourite with audio-videophiles, will also push the new
format.
"We have learned a lot from our experience," said
Chubachi.
What lies ahead?
In the words of some analysts, Sony
suffers from the dichotomy of platforms. Its Vaio computer, with its strong AV
capabilities, finds room in the study, while its PlayStation is stationed in the
living room.
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