WIRED: Microsoft goes after Hollywood

[trthing]

A little update:

http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5075335.html

[moovieboy]

Hmmmmm, curious.

I have heard some very good things about Windows Media 9 series, but there's a major hurdle: Macs.

I've yet to see a time table for porting WM9 to OS X (except for rumors of this fall or "coming soon!" whatever that means). Every prior version of Windows Media Player and related technologies for the mac have resulted in buggy, inconsistent, and occassional "WTF?" experiences.

If WM9 technology doesn't work to a completely satisfying level for the mac editor/compositor/motion graphics artist... doesn't scrub and convert well on a mac sound/music designer/mixer's Pro Tools... doesn't run on the iBook the location scout is using... doesn't show up on the producer's Powerbook while on the plane... and fails even on the lowly P.A.'s iMac... then how can it even begin to think it's got Hollywood in its sights?

Sure, this could all change tomorrow and that's not a terrible thing as long as WM9 can learn to co-exist with other platforms and codecs. If they ultimately approach this with a "our way or the highway" inflexibility, I hope they get sent packing back to Redmond.

-Tom

[aurora]

MediaPlayer? Ha ha ha ha ha! Mediaplayer!? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by moovieboy
Hmmmmm, curious.
I have heard some very good things about Windows Media 9 series, but there's a major hurdle: Macs.


No, the major hurdle's are Linux and reputation. Most of
Hollywood is moving from SGI to Linux, and the mac has been
niched even in Hollywood.

Now if MS hadn't been so complacent when they achieved market
dominance, they'd have produced better products and avoided
the whole reputation issue, which helped Linux get a firm foothold
in content creation.

[Per-Anders]

Originally posted by Thalaxis
No, the major hurdle's are Linux and reputation. Most of
Hollywood is moving from SGI to Linux, and the mac has been
niched even in Hollywood.

Now if MS hadn't been so complacent when they achieved market
dominance, they'd have produced better products and avoided
the whole reputation issue, which helped Linux get a firm foothold
in content creation.

no, the difference is most of hollywood 3D CG is on the move from SGI to linux boxes... that's not the rule for everyone else. however in essence you're both right... in Hollywood the Windows PC isn't the only machine and Microsoft have to make sure WMP9 works on all the machines equally well. I suspect they're only doing this after seeing Apples presentation showing off Pixlet and feel they have to copy/compete in the same arena.

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by mdme_sadie
no, the difference is most of hollywood 3D CG is on the move from SGI to linux boxes... that's not the rule for everyone else. however in essence you're both right... in Hollywood the Windows PC isn't the only machine and Microsoft have to make sure WMP9 works on all the machines equally well. I suspect they're only doing this after seeing Apples presentation showing off Pixlet and feel they have to copy/compete in the same arena.

Not to mention that they shot themselves in the feet and let Linux
gain a signficant foothold without even really trying to prevent it.

It's going to be curious to see how they respond to the
competition from Linux... since it's the main barrier for MS for
both expanding into Hollywood and breaking into the high-end
enterprise is now Linux.

(That is, IMO, MS' own doing.)

[Mazer]

It's going to be curious to see how they respond to the
competition from Linux... s

Simple, its like they are aleady doing, they will try to kill it whit million dollar trials and marketing.
:shrug:

It would be interesthing to see ILM pipeline stall
everitime a new Virus or security breatch is found :)
Get real, wy would anyone trade a rodust unix Os for that thing.....

[MCronin]

I don't think MS's main concern is getting Media Player in use in Hollywood production, but rather, getting Windows Media technology and codecs being used as the standard for consumer products and film distribution to end users, whether that be a new type of DVD or through the internet or wireless communication. That's where the money is. If MS can provide a secure, quality format for film and music distribution, the film, music, and consumer electronics industries will flock to it, and MS will make a nice chunk of money from licensing.

[aurora]

I agree that from reading the articles that it sounds like a main thrust is towards Standardization. That is a good thing IF M$ does not try and dominate the committee and if they don't try and push their MPEG2 as the model of the standard. However M$ is very shortsided in such matters and ignores the fact that there is bigger and better things out there.

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by aurora
I agree that from reading the artivels that it sounds like a main thrust is towards Standardization. That is a good thing IF M$ does not try and dominate the committee and if they don't try and push their MPEG2 as the model of the standard. However M$ is very shortsided in such matters and ignores the fact that there is bigger and better things out there.

They have bee shortsighted in the past, definitely.

However, it seems that they've finally woken up to the fact that
they can earn more money by supporting open standards than
they can by trying to squash them.

Mazer --

I don't think the court case is going to accomplish anything other
than bring about the end of SCO.

MS is doing other stuff to compete also, since the market has
shown a tendency not to be swayed by such silliness anyway.
They have been talking about the possibility of dropping the price
on Windows, the talk about Longhorn shows that they're trying to
develop an OS that will make people WANT to upgrade (because
face it, most people already have MS solutions and no need for
anything better, so MS are their own worst competitor in the PC
market), and they're putting a lot of effort into 64-bit versions of
Windows.

A real shocker would be one those Opteron supercomputer design
wins (that are almost becoming routine already) running a 64-bit
version of Windows.

The only reason that I don't think it will happen is that I don't
think that MS is up to the task, but it wouldn't surprise me if they
at least decided to attempt it.

[beaker]

Originally posted by Thalaxis
No, the major hurdle's are Linux and reputation. Most of
Hollywood is moving from SGI to Linux, and the mac has been
niched even in Hollywood.

Now if MS hadn't been so complacent when they achieved market
dominance, they'd have produced better products and avoided
the whole reputation issue, which helped Linux get a firm foothold
in content creation.
On the video editing side most of it is still all mac. 3d is where linux is, not editing. Other than Smoke that is just announced, there are not any professional editors for linux. 95% of the freelance jobs I have had in LA even if they run all windows or linux boxes will have atleast 1 mac with FCP or an Avid package on it.

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