Being able to take a disc straight from a Sony camcorder or DVD recorder and play it in a PSP would be a powerful and practical convergence demonstration.
They are a nice-to-have perceived bonus as Sony showed by including DVD playback capabilities with the PlayStation 2.
While Microsoft doesn't offer the Xbox360 with an internal HD DVD drive Sony doesn't offer a PS3 without Blu-ray.
In a rare display of openness about storage standards, Sony expressed yesterday that it is now completely open to discussions on creating a single next-generation DVD standard instead of barreling right along into the impending major format war between Blu-ray (which Sony currently backs) and HD-DVD.
ENGADGET: Sony says it's open to creating a single DVD standard
Yukonori Kawauchi, general manager in charge of DVD formats at Sony's Video Group, said that "to provide the best service to the consumer one format is better than two, " which makes us wonder why they don't put this guy in charge when making decisions on other Sony storage formats.
The console also supported games made for the original PlayStation, it could be used as a DVD player, and Sony's good relationship with publishers ensured a steady supply of top-selling games.
Imagine if your local video store only had VHS tapes of Warner Brothers Movies, but offered Limited Edition DVD's of all Sony pictures films.
Toshiba just couldn't let Sony hog all the high-def DVD spotlight with its delays, so it has pushed back its second generation HD DVD players in the US and abroad.
ENGADGET: Toshiba second gen HD DVD players delayed worldwide HD
Seriously though, what a coup would that be if Microsoft swooped in to make the Xbox 360 the premier digital content hub -- with or without HD DVD -- right underneath Sony's nose at the eve of their PlayStation 3 launch?
That should provide a nice boost for Sony as the film is already out on DVD.
But to everyone's surprise last year, Sony and Philips unveiled a single-sided DVD with a capacity of 3.7 gigabytes, more than five times that of a music CD.
And that's exactly why HD DVD had to die: folks who should be trying to sell pricey video gear have had to waste their time walking buyers through HD DVD's format war with Sony's Blu-ray.
Pioneer's DV-AX10 model also comes with the ability to play SuperAudio CD discs - a format developed by Sony and already commercialized that is battling with DVD Audio for the place as the successor to compact disks.
CNN: Pioneer to launch DVD Audio players without waiting for copy protection
Sony and Dutch powerhouse Philips are pushing their own DVD format, dubbed the MultiMedia CD.
The super density format was used as the basis of DVD with a couple of tweaks from the Sony camp.
Not that we were ever that optimistic about peace breaking out in the war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the two rival high-def disc formats that are duking it out over which one is going to succeed the DVD, but you can forget about whatever Sony was saying in recent weeks about being open to burying the hatchet and working to develop a single standard.
Even though we've all gone out and bought HD-DVD players already (not really), Sony is trying to woo consumers over to the Blu-ray camp with a snazzy new line of BRAVIA-brand flat-panel LCD TVs, five of which sport the coveted XBR designation, and five of which offer 1080p resolution for maximum enjoyment of the BDP-S1 that Sony is hoping you'll pick up this summer.
In January, Warner Bros. announced it will drop HD DVD for the rival Blu-ray format from Sony.
Its champions include Dell, Panasonic, Philips Electronics and, of course, Sony, while Toshiba, Microsoft and Sanyo, support HD DVD.
Sony controls the living room with its televisions, stereos and DVD players.
The format war between Sony's Blu-Ray and Toshiba's HD DVD has been a self-defeating mess, confusing consumers and slowing acceptance of DVDs boasting high-definition picture quality.
In January, Warner Bros. announced it will drop HD DVD for the rival Blu-ray format from Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ).
Warner Brothers exclusive backing of the Blu-Ray high-definition DVD format has not only warmed the hearts of Sony investors, it's good news for the companies that produce the expensive disc-making machines.
Samsung's digital televisions cost 3% to 5% less, and its DVD players are 15% to 20% less than Sony's in the shops.
Did you plop down big dollars for a high-definition DVD player using Toshiba's HD DVD format -- which recently lost the battle with Sony's Blu-ray format?
Offering a Blu-ray media player with its console at a time when the HD format war was in full swing was a pretty gutsy move on Sony's part -- one that paid off as HD DVD fell by the wayside.
In contrast, Sony could have opted for a 1.5GB 3-inch mini-DVD like those used in the GameCube and its own Handycam camcorders.
Like its biggest competitor at the time, Sony s PlayStation 2, the Xbox offered high-powered graphics, a DVD player and the ability to connect to the Internet.
Sounds sadly to true to Sony's imperial style, but then again it's not like the HD-DVD have been all that willing to work things out either.
So you probably remember yesterday's scary report which quoted a Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesperson predicting that Sony's upcoming US battery recall will expand beyond just laptops, and might include portable DVD players and videogame consoles too.
ENGADGET: CPSC: Sony recall will include laptop batteries only
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