It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Discworld

Via Slashdot^[1] I found this interesting article by Client DeBoer on the competing Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats, both touted by their respective backers as the replacement for the DVD format. DeBoer posits that neither of the two will catch on with the general public, and lists the top ten reasons for them failing to do so. The point that rings most true to me is this one:

3. HD DVD and Blu-ray are NOT Quantum Leaps in Technology
Consumers came over in droves when CDs were released back in 1982. The new format offered not only a new digital media, but also a way to instantly access tracks across an entire album. Convenience, not technology, drove this format to almost instant consumer adoption. Fast forward a bit to 1997 when the first DVD player was released. Again, convenience, not technology, drove people to the market en masse. Unlike VHS tapes, the new DVD format was smaller, easily navigated and would not wear down over time like existing tape-based formats.

Exactly right. The introduction of the DVD was nothing short of a revolution. Blu-Ray? HD-DVD? Okay, so it's better than DVD, but is it better enough?
DeBoer also mentions the spectacular failure of SACD and DVD-Audio, two competing format intended to replace the CD. The first thing I thought the first time I heard of either a couple of years ago was "eh." Audio CDs are good enough. Perhaps not for those of you with golden ears, but for us mere mortals they most certainly are.

Besides, I wouldn't spend money on a player of one format or the other until I'm absolutely sure the one I'm picking is the format that will ultimately prevail. Let's just say I'm in possession of waaay too many Betamax tapes for me to get into the early-adoption game again. Another important issue is backwards compability; I'm not going to replace my DVD collection^[2], so any player I buy had better support DVDs as well.

Though, unlike the VHS and Betamax, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD have the exact same dimensions, and I can't imagine it being to difficult to create a player that could handle both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs. The end result might be much like the format war between the DVD-R and DVD+R burnable DVD formats: ultimately all burners just supported both, the format war essentially ending in a tie.
For the time being I'm sticking with my DVD collection, though. Until HVD comes along, that is.

^[1] Oh, don't start.
^[2] Which numbers well over 200 at this point. My salary is way too high.

Internet Apocalypse Now?

Via Slashdot^[1] I found this disturbing article:

World Cup streaming to cause network meltdown

The BBC's decision to stream all its football matches live on the internet has been greeted with joy by UK fans, but could cause massive headaches for the country's network managers.

...

"This will generate a huge surge in network traffic, eating into the bandwidth available to run business-critical applications effectively."

This is becoming a bit silly. It's bad enough most of the entire world^[2] screeches to a grinding halt every four years to watch a spherical object being kicked around. Now I won't even be able to check my mail everytime Romarionaldona gets a yellow card?
I'm probably sounding more negative to football than I actually am. It's enjoyable to watch, I suppose. But not at the expense of the world turning! I'm drawing a line in the sand here, people!

Proud Finn as I am^[3], I have to point out how ahead of the curve we were on the issue of Internet destruction. Professor Hannu Kari of Helsinki University pinpointed 2006 as the year the Internet would end already in 2001, according to this Ars Technica article. Although, Dr. Kari seems to credit the predicted demise to assorted malware and spam rather than football.

Of course, this could all be propaganda from the anti-network neutrality lobby. In the interest of being fair and balanced, the pro-network neutrality lobby, aka the good guys, are over here. I'm sure you can't tell whose side I'm on.

^[1] Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll read /. if I want to.
^[2] Save for the US, but you guys got the Superbowl.
^[3] Well, after Tony Halme/Ludwig Borga won a seat in the Finnish parliament, I typically pretend I'm Swedish.