Sony on those pesky blue laser diodes

[jed]

They've been blamed for the PS3's delays (and launch shipment reductions), now Sony exec Jack Tretton is speaking out about what some have called the PlayStation 3's achilles heel.

"I’m like everybody else. I’m saying 'come on! Just build 'em, man! What's so complicated?' But think about what that blue laser diode has to do. It has to read audio CDs, standard DVDs, Blu-ray DVDs, PlayStation 1 games, PlayStation 2 games, and PlayStation 3 games. Six completely different formats that have nothing to do with each other and you're going to have one device that’s going to read all those.

That’s a tremendous concept. But when you turn to the engineers and say 'go build that for me,' they ask 'are you crazy?' But they’ve managed to pull it off. We've got the blue laser diode's yield now. Okay, it's not necessarily where we'd like to be but it will get exponentially healthier as we go forward."

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news...er_Diodes_/347

[MentokTheMindTaker]

I want to apologize to the world. I stole 40 million diodes a couple months ago. I am not proud of that...but I made a really kick-ass disco ball and Halloween costume with them.

I have a few million left over...is there any way I can give them back to Sony without being found out?

[Blurry]

But think about what that blue laser diode has to do. It has to read audio CDs, standard DVDs, Blu-ray DVDs, PlayStation 1 games, PlayStation 2 games, and PlayStation 3 games. Six completely different formats that have nothing to do with each other

Uh, talk about hyperbole there (on Sony's part). There are a total of 3 formats it needs to handle. The laser only reads the data, not interprets it - the three playstation formats are only different in what is stored on the disc, not how it is stored.

Playstation 1 = CD, Playstation 2=DVD, Playstation 3=Blu-Ray. Like I said, a total of three different "physical" formats - and only one new one: Blu-Ray (which is what the shortage is really about).

[DanzBorin]

Originally Posted by Blurry

Uh, talk about hyperbole there (on Sony's part). There are a total of 3 formats it needs to handle. The laser only reads the data, not interprets it - the three playstation formats are only different in what is stored on the disc, not how it is stored.

Playstation 1 = CD, Playstation 2=DVD, Playstation 3=Blu-Ray. Like I said, a total of three different "physical" formats - and only one new one: Blu-Ray (which is what the shortage is really about).

doesn't the HD DVD laser work the same way, just differing in the distance from the disc?

oh noes HD DVD has to read 230592435709842 different formats too! lol

[Blurry]

Originally Posted by DanzBorin

doesn't the HD DVD laser work the same way, just differing in the distance from the disc?

Yup, exactly, the HD-DVD player also has to read three different physical formats, the same as the Blu-Ray. Doesn't sound like much an excuse for Sony, all things taken into consideration...

[DanzBorin]

Originally Posted by Blurry

Yup, exactly, the HD-DVD player also has to read three different physical formats, the same as the Blu-Ray. Doesn't sound like much an excuse for Sony, all things taken into consideration...

well, i'm sure sony is trying to buy many more than toshiba is at the moment...

I guess MS got their order in early for them to get teh 360 Add on in the works...

[Osko]

Do they use the same blue laser diodes?

[Blurry]

Originally Posted by Osko

Do they use the same blue laser diodes?

It is a similar technology, but I don't think they are technically exactly the same - the Blu-Ray needs to read very close to the surface whereas the HD-DVD ray needs to read at distances similar to DVD.

This difference may mean that it is easier to build the HD-DVD diodes (actually, one of the arguments that the HD-DVD camp makes in its favor is that it is easier to adapt existing technology to work with HD-DVD discs, and the diode is probably part of that argument - though there are other even more important parts to that argument, such as existing DVD assembly lines can be easily adapted to creating HD-DVD - the same is not true for Blu-Ray).

[BIGSAPOTEER]

Is it difficult to manufacture blue diodes? Or can I make my own in my garage and built my own PS4? What exactly is a blue laser diode?