This isn’t very surprising really. Microsoft and Toshiba developed the HDi interactivity platform for HD DVD, and MS has built it into Windows Vista. When Toshiba had HD DVD rubber-stamped by the DVD Forum, HDi was standardized as ‘Advanced Navigation’. So now they’re looking to pitch HDi for other uses – digital content downloads, cell phones, PMPs, game consoles, etc.
Any bets on which platforms will actually see this? (Hint: Windows Mobile and Xbox 360.)
This is just marketing spin on something that MS was almost certainly going to do anyway, since HDi is their baby and they already put it in Vista. And the 360 already has it when the HD DVD drive is added-on.
“The Advanced Interactivity Consortium has its roots in the work we’ve done with HDi(TM) and HD DVD, but is open to all companies interested in bringing a broader set of experiences to consumers on different platforms,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD’s interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market. The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services.”
Open to all companies? I wonder how welcome the BDA would be if they suggested promoting BD-J as a platform under the AIC’s aegis. Somehow I suspect the welcome would not be warm.
The full PR is below:
Oct 4, 2007 12:26 ET
Toshiba and Microsoft Announce Plans to Form Advanced Interactivity Consortium
DreamWorks Animation, Paramount, Universal and Warner join IT and consumer electronics industry leaders to extend and promote interactive experiences beyond optical media to new platforms.
TOKYO and REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Toshiba Corp. and Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to form the Advanced Interactivity Consortium (AIC), an open forum aimed at the promotion of superior interactivity for a wide range of next-generation consumer devices, digital content and distribution scenarios. The newly formed organization’s mission is to maximize consumer satisfaction worldwide by accelerating industrywide adoption of advanced interactivity and interoperability across a broad array of HD DVD products.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
In addition to its crystal-clear picture quality and sound, HD DVD, the next generation of DVD approved by the DVD Forum, is the first platform to include advanced interactivity as a basic feature in high-definition movies and players, substantially expanding the possibilities of high-definition home entertainment.
The new organization will also focus attention on ways to bring these advanced scenarios to other services and platforms, including digital downloads to DVD players, PCs, TVs, cell phones, portable media players and game consoles.
“Creating attractive consumer experiences with advanced interactivity is critical to bringing digital home entertainment to the next level,” said Hisatsugu Nonaka, corporate executive vice president at Toshiba. “In order to create these ecosystems, we wanted to bring together a group of companies committed to extending these scenarios across a wide variety of platforms. The Advanced Interactivity Consortium will advocate for these platforms as well as help ensure interoperability of HD DVD players and services.”
“The Advanced Interactivity Consortium has its roots in the work we’ve done with HDi(TM) and HD DVD, but is open to all companies interested in bringing a broader set of experiences to consumers on different platforms,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “We look forward to contributing to this effort with HDi, our implementation of HD DVD’s interactive layer, and to collaborate with AIC members on how to extend interactive compatibilities to the consumer electronics market. The goal is to ensure a high-quality experience not only through optical discs but also through new digital download services.”
Based on easy-to-program Web standards, HDi technology naturally lends itself to cross-platform implementations and integration in online content services. For content owners, HDi provides a simple development environment, resulting in a seamless and visually consistent experience from device menus to Web-based applications.
The Advanced Interactivity Consortium will also include major Hollywood studios DreamWorks Animation SKG, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., which have given their commitment to these advanced scenarios and experience bringing new features to consumers. Each studio currently distributes, or will distribute, HD DVD titles with HDi-enabled features, from advanced in-movie navigation, bookmarking and picture-in-picture, to Web- enabled communities, content downloads and e-commerce stores.
“We are pleased to support the formation of the Advanced Interactivity Consortium and look forward to further developing interactive scenarios on HD DVD that will extend the consumer experience to new platforms,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. “By following a standards-based approach, this collaboration will uniformly benefit consumers as well as the industry.”
The AIC founding member companies plan to formalize the organization shortly and to extend additional partner invitations.
About Toshiba
Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications equipment and systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 670 companies, with over 191,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$60 billion. Visit Toshiba’s web site at http://www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Microsoft Corp.
CONTACT: Toshiba, +81-3-3457-2105; or Kassi Horn of Weber Shandwick for
Microsoft, +1-425-452-5417, khorn@webershandwick.com; or Junko Furuta of
Toshiba Corp., Corporate Communications Office, +81-3-3457-2105, fax,
+81-3-5444-9202
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/contact/media.htm
Note To Editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
