Samsung: "Blu-ray has 5 years left"

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/17399/18423/samsung-blu-ray-5-years-left.phtml

INTERVIEW: Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics, Samsung UK

NEWS: 3 September 2008 16:17 GMT by Stuart Miles
Samsung has said that it sees the Blu-ray format only lasting a further 5 years before it is replaced by another format or technology.

"I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10", Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK told Pocket-lint in an interview.

Hoping to capitalise before it's too late, Griffiths believes that 2008 is the format's year.

"It's going to be huge", he told Pocket-lint. "We are heavily back-ordered at the moment."

Citing online rental sites like LoveFilm's adoption of Blu-ray titles, the move to offer cheaper players and a now clear path to adoption following the Blu-ray HD DVD battle, Griffith says the format will be a winner, although not for long.

Instead Samsung is putting its faith in its OLED technology. The new technology, which is "ready to rock", is being held back at the moment due to high manufacturing costs.

"We will launch the OLED technology when it's at a price that will be appealing to the consumer, unfortunately that's not yet."

Griffiths, citing 2010 as a possible date for your calendar, told us he believes that when the technology becomes mainstream it will replace LCD.

"It's gonna be big, but at the moment it's a great story, not commercial, product."

Samsung previewed two OLED screen televisions at IFA in Berlin earlier in the month, out-manoeuvring Sony to be the largest models on show at the show.

Coming in 14- and 31-inch models, the screens that are incredibly thin, produce vivid contrasts and colours.

Sony settled for second place with a 9- and 27-inch models, but it wasn't the only area that Samsung claimed a "world's first" over their Far East rivals.

The company has recently announced it's partnered with Yahoo to offer widgets on its internet connected televisions as it tries to turn the television into an information hub of the home rather than the PC.

"The content has to be relevant, but once it is it will make the TV more than a TV", said Griffiths.

So where next? Griffiths is clearly thinking about the future citing more focus on rolling out LED backlighting in the range as well as improving the quality of the offering.

But it seems the Olympics is on the man and the company's minds.

"In 2012 we will be in a true HD world. Everything from your television to your camcorder will be offering you pictures in high-definition, and we plan to offer you that HD world from all angles."

With 4 years to go, the prospect sounds exciting, but by then Blu-ray will be, if Samsung are to be believed, on its last legs.

i dont understand his logic....so BD will last until 2013..a year after he says we will be in an HD world? Wouldnt that mean BD will become completely mainstream and accessible in roughly 4 years according to his final comment? Just sort of confusing to me.

what OLED have anything to do with blu ray?
a screen technology vs disc format that can go up 200gb enough for quad HD movies.

i think he just tried to say something crazy to get every heard about their screens.

What does LCD fading away and OLED becoming maintstream have to do with BD last only 5 years? Okay, OLED replaces LCD, people who buy these TVs still want movies in 720/1080p.

Relevance?

No, he said OLED technology will replace LCD monitors, it is better and "ready to rock", but still too expensive. When OLED monitors launch, they will boast even brighter colors and better pictures than LCD, and will be connected to the net. It will be a real entertainment hub, not just a TV. He didn't say whether a new disc based technology would replace blu ray, or if would be streaming, but he did say Blu Ray will drop in price quickly to maximize sales before OLED comes out.

I think he might be thinking things will happen faster than they actually will, but cheap Blu Ray might be a great boost for PS3 if the PS3 price can drop enough to keep it competitive with the stand alone players....

So blu-ray is doing great, but they are replacing it with OLED?  I assume it was just poorly worded, and they mean they will put more money into researching OLED than Blu-ray.  Also I don't think Samsung UK would be making these decisions.

...so right now the ps3 is trying to be your one stop multimedia shop.

what i gather from this article is samsung believe samsung tvs will be your one stop multimedia shop. oled screens are just a couple of mm thick leaving plenty of room the the other various electronics like hdd, ect for internet based television (i.e. digital downloads) making blu-ray comparatively obsolete technology.

...at least that's what i think they meant.

So, it looks like Samsung plans to go after M$ with their TV:s being online hubs and push digital distribution.

If the OLED TV:s all have the features and go low enough in price, Samsung may actually have a case here, but they may be a little too late.

I read comparisons to apples and oranges. I assume he meant direct downloads will beat out Blu-ray, which could in theory happen, but I doubt it.

That Samsung guy must work for M$....roflol.