Broadcom prevents Betamax Syndrome
Broadcom Corp. could help PC and DVD
manufacturers sidestep the choice between two high-definition recording
standards with a chip that can decode signals recorded in either
format.
Broadcom Corp. could help PC and DVD manufacturers sidestep the choice between two high-definition recording standards with a chip that can decode signals recorded in either format.
A new recording standard is needed to accommodate the rapacious storage requirements of high-definition video, but as with the DVD-RW and DVD+RW and VHS-versus-Betamax debates, two different standards backed by industry heavyweights have emerged. Blu-Ray is supported by consumer electronics vendors Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) as well as PC vendors Dell Inc. and Apple HD DVD is backed by Toshiba Corp., NEC Corp., Intel Corp., and Microsoft Corp. Major entertainment companies have announced support for both standards.
Video recorded using one standard will not play on DVD players built using the other standard, which promises to frustrate consumers looking to play DVDs from one movie studio on both their PCs and living-room DVD players. But Broadcom’s technology will allow PCs or DVD players using the chips to play video recorded with either standard, said Jonathan Goldberg, senior product line manager with Broadcom.
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“Our chipset will play 100 percent of HD DVD and 100 percent of Blu-Ray, and all the special features that come with that,” Goldberg said.
Yes, Broadcom gets to profit from both of the competing design groups.
Posted: Wed - January 4, 2006 at 07:30 AM