HP (Hewlett-Packard Co.) has said they’ll be backing Blu-Ray in the high stakes war for the next generation optical storage medium.  Even though Microsoft came out on the side of HD DVD, which I can see as an obvious move if it were relevant for them to come down on one side or the other.  But I don’t get why Microsoft’s allegiance means anything, does this mean Microsoft is going to start manufacturing HD DVD players?  I don’t think so.  Maybe it means there will be no Blu-Ray drivers on Microsoft operating system?  I doubt it!  Maybe someone can clarify why M-soft and HD DVD means a darned thing.  A PC manufacturer like HP might want to fall in line with Microsoft, especially if you believe in the PC conspiracy theory that has Microsoft and Intel in secret meetings overseen by the smoking man deciding the fate of our data services.  HP should be a player in Microsoft’s game at the very least.  Well, that might be what’s happening.

HP decided they need Sony to include a couple of features in Blu-Ray technology.  The first is Mandatory Managed Copy which would allow PC users copy hi-def movies into data file format so it can be distributed across their network.  That gets my attention, I’m all for that feature!  The other feature is iHD, a collection of interactive features that will be implemented on Microsoft’s new operating system called Windows Vista. 

Check this out.  HP’s General Manager of Personal Storage was all like:  “…we’re very serious that we want these technologies.  If in the end, they’re supported in one and then not the other (blu-ray or HD DVD). We’ll have to make a choice.”  DAH-HAM, take THAT Sony!

So far Sony hasn’t said they’ll jump on these features to keep HP.