Tuesday, November 23, 2004

DualDisc DOA?

DualDisc gotta be considered as one of the most disastrous product launch. For those not familiar with this latest audio/video technology, DualDisc is a new media format that combines CD and DVD, i.e., including one of each on two sides of a disc.

It is being pushed by the four major record companies and was first released to retailers earlier this month. However, one of the first DualDiscs, the latest album from the all-girl band Donnas, was pulled due to production issues.

That would have been bad enough but it got worse! Major audio/video manufacturers, including Toshiba, Pioneer and Sony, have issued customer advisory that recommends against using DualDisc on their products! (See the one from Pioneer) Well, I guess the only players that are OK to play DualDisc are those $40 no-name-brand players from China.

I think the major record companies are too busy suing file downloaders. Making products that actually work is the least of their concerns.

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