Hardware/Software DVD. Wait til it's interactive...................
techweb.com
Simply put: "Hardware is expensive, software is cheap," said Pier DelFrate, vice president of marketing for Mediamatics, a software-based DVD provider based in Fremont, Calif.
Cost is an advantage highlighted by producers of software, or host-based DVD solutions. Because the system's main processor performs the DVD functions, VARs can cut system cost by eliminating DVD hardware, including a decoder chip and add-in card.
"I don't see demand for hardware DVD [in commercial mainstream markets] . . . when they can get software for almost free," said Joe Monastiero, director of software marketing for Zoran Corp., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based manufacturer of hardware and software DVD solutions.
Volume pricing to OEMs for software DVD products on average is less than $5 per license, according to manufacturers.
To stay competitive, hardware manufacturers are lowering DVD solutions costs while emphasizing the quality and flexibility of hardware-based DVD playback.
DVD-recording capabilities are expected to appear in the channel by the end of the year, along with a more interactive DVD experience, such as the ability to magnify images on screen, said Clint Chao, senior director of marketing for the PC and Codec division at C-Cube Microsystems Inc., a hardware-based manufacturer based in Milpitas, Calif.
"Software DVD would have a hard time [with interactive applications] without really interrupting the performance of the PC," Chao said. "Interaction will continue to require hardware." |
