Related articles

• Movie studios, PC vendors and retail stores

  HD DVD has managed to get one convert. Through a reported financial agreement, Paramount went from supporting both high-def standards to HD DVD exclusively. Unfortunately for the fledgling format, though, Blu-ray grew back stronger from that and recently gained exclusive support from Warner Bros, another studio that used to be format neutral. Some studios listed above are owned by the same parent company but are listed separately because their distribution decisions are independent. * - Warner Bros will stop supporting HD DVD on April 2, 2008. In the above chart, the major studios for each side are shown, including those that still support both formats. It doesn't take a genius to see that the ones on the Blu-ray list have more name recognition than those on HD DVD. This is where HD DVD is dying. It speaks to the old adage of "content is king." The fact that Disney, Fox, and soon Warner are all exclusively backing Blu-ray gives the format an edge that is very difficult to out-do. However, Universal and Paramount are also huge players in the game. With those anchors, Blu-ray can't run away with everything, and the scales can still tilt either way. Microsoft also supports HD DVD, and has from the start. The company's most visible contribution is the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360. However, it is even more important behind the scenes, as it created the HDi technology that powers advanced features in HD DVD media, like picture-in-picture videos and Internet connectivity. HD DVD also has the official nod from the DVD Forum, which standardized the DVD format, although it wasn't exactly a unanimous decision and not much weight is really given to that support today. Early on, though, it looked like HD DVD would be strong enough to capture the attention of the Blu-ray followers and cause them to jump ship. For example, famed technology writer Chris Prillo wrote a column after CES 2006 that speculated, "I have no doubt that HD DVD will be the victor. Why? Price and compatibility!" Additionally, HD DVD may be ready to tap into a new market. According to NPD senior vice president Stephen Baker, the price points of HD DVD players are reaching so low that they might begin appealing to users as standard DVD upconverters. "It's certainly a viable option because it's a relatively inexpensive player in general," said Baker. "Something that has features that people want and is relatively inexpensive is a sure way to open the market to consumers." The other market for high definition media is in the computer industry. There appears to be somewhat less of a battle here, as several manufacturers support both formats. However, the number one manufacturer, Dell, has exclusively chosen to back Blu-ray. Apple has done the same. Of course, Toshiba is the biggest PC manufacturer to exclusively support HD DVD computer drives. Microsoft is Toshiba's strongest ally and is holding on to its Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. HP and Acer, two of the top three PC makers in the US, are neutral. And according to Baker, the computer drive market plays a "very little" role in the format war overall. So don't take too much stock in this part of the HD battle. To reiterate, we believe that the format war is not over just yet. The end of the battle will be determined when general consumers have voted with their dollars. That's why retail is such an important sector to consider. Despite a lot of talk over stores choosing sides in the format war, there is actually very little of a concrete divide. Blockbuster and Target both made public announcements about supporting Blu-ray and HD DVD. However, dozens of Blockbuster locations stock both formats, and Target sells HD DVD movies right alongside Blu-ray Discs. Additionally, Target's decision of Blu-ray exclusivity was only valid through the end of 2007. Regarding online stores, it is actually near impossible to find an official outlet that only stocks one format. The top 10 electronics stores, according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, stock both format players and content, so it is quite evident that retailers have not chosen sides just yet. * Meijer HD DVD player sales are limited to Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD player ** Products available offline only There is really no divide within retail stores. Of the top 10 retailers that offer HD media, according to Pricewaterhouse Cooper, not one has chosen to exclusively back one format over the other. As long as there are hit movies on HD DVD, it will continue to be a viable player, and as long as it continues to be a viable player, it will remain in the eye of the mass consumer market. When it's time for that market to make its decision, then we can start talking about the demise of one format and the acceptance of the other. As Baker noted, "The whole high definition movie business is an early-adopter business, and it's going to be a little while before it moves into the mainstream."

• More Than Meets The Eye

  Alan: You’re being too humble. You were basically a member of Sandia National Laboratories’ Information Design Assurance Red Team  (IDART). This is the team that gets hired when agencies such as the Department of Defense, Treasury, Interior, or State need to ensure that something like Live Free or Die Hard or 24 (Season 7) doesn’t happen in real life. I know you can’t go into details, but was this full-on Red Team assessment? In other words, the target you’re testing has no idea that the test is happening, and your team is allowed to use any and all resources such as dropping a USB drive in the parking lot with a Trojan Horse payload and hoping a Good Samaritan will try to identify its owner by plugging it in? Dino: I can neither confirm nor deny. Alan: @stake was also a unique company in that its research department was built largely in part with the acquisition of L0pht Heavy Industries. L0pht was really one of the pioneering groups representing “gray hat” hackers. Historically, people talked about “White Hat” and “Black Hat” hackers. The White Hats are supposed to be the “good guys” while the “Black Hat” hackers were the “bad guys.”  The problem is that many of the “White Hats” thought they were too good and noble to associate or deal with the “Black Hats.” As a result, they would only have a limited base to build upon. The concept held by “Gray Hats” is that the only way to defend against all threats was to understand all threats. At times, this would mean fraternizing with the “bad guys”--but in practice it meant understanding all the threats and then figuring out how to counteract those threats. What was it like working there? Dino: @stake employed some of the most talented people in the business and it was a great opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best. I was lucky to have the opportunity to work on some very exciting and important projects for some big clients. Again, I can’t talk about the details of my work there either, except to say that I performed network, Web site, and software penetration tests as well as delivered secure development and security awareness training. Alan: Well, enough talk about your past. Tell me about your current job. Dino: I can’t comment on it at this time. Alan: I'm not surprised. Can you tell me about the computer you’re currently using as your primary system? Dino: I use a number of computers on a regular basis, but they are almost all Macs. My main systems include a MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro. I have been using Mac OS X primarily on my personal systems since around summer 2001. Alan: Why a Mac when it's inherently insecure? Dino: I'm a die-hard Unix user and Mac OS X is the most convenient and functional Unix-based operating system that I have ever used. I can code in a traditional Unix environment, watch a DVD, and use Microsoft Office all on the same system. The system just works and lets me get my job done. I have tended to focus a bit on Mac OS X security since I often had a Mac in front of me and I enjoyed hacking on it. I also clearly have a vested interest in having a more secure platform on the machines storing my data.

• Keyboard Sophistication

  Are you sick and tired of always carrying around a memory card reader? Atech Flash has come up with a simple solution: a keyboard with a built-in memory reader. The keyboard has 14 hotkeys that can be programmed to perform tasks such as opening Internet Explorer or Microsoft Outlook. The memory card reader accepts pretty much every format, and can also be detached and used as a regular USB2 reader. Retail price for this keyboard is around $45; you can buy it from Zones.com The Unwired Road Warrior The SMC Wireless Traveler's Kit is an 802.11g wonder that fits in the palm of your hand - now you can easily carry around a wireless access point and wireless bridge. Small size and light weight make this a great gift for the business traveler. The Wireless Traveler's Kit will convert any Ethernet connection into wireless. For example, if you want to use your wireless laptop on the hotel broadband connection, simply plug the SMC gadget into the Ethernet cable to give you a working WAP. This works just as well with other network devices, such as printers. The MSRP for the Wireless Traveler's Kit is $99.99. It can be purchased at most retailers, or through online stores such as Amazon.com