Apple backs Blu-ray


Bloomberg reports that Apple is backing Sony's Blu-ray format and has won a seat on the Blu-Ray Disc Association board. This standard promises high-definition pictures, better sound quality, more capacity (50GB) and improved copyright protection than standard DVDs.

Blu-ray is competing for hearts and minds of hardware and content makers with Toshiba's HD format. The latter offers lower capacity, but is seen to be less disruptive because of the way it's manufactured.

Dell and HP, the No 1 and 2 computer makers, respectively, have both chosen Blu-ray. Pixar, Steve Jobs' other company, has yet to formally choose sides in this fight.

Apple's Blu-ray PR can be read here.