Microsoft is using www.startsomethingpc.com to start a PC design contest. I heard about it at Addicted to Digital Media (AtDM). They have a teaser video that shows a whole lot of nothing, as teasers often do. At AtDM they have several versions of this teaser video: standard definition, 720, and 1080. I downloaded an HD one and took a gander, just because. When I saw the HD options I thought wow, cool, Microsoft is really promoting this High-Def thing. Even their videos now come with an HD option. But then I went to www.startsomethingpc.com, and I couldn’t find the HD versions of the video anywhere. So much for supporting HD.

Microsoft has a lot to gain by the adoption of HD, especially when the blue-laser disc format hits stores. VC-1 is their format, they invented it, and it’s supported by both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD camps. They want their technology to be used and to proliferate. But if they want to do that, they really have to get behind it. They have part of it right - the Xbox 360 sounds like it’ll be an HD monster! But website videos have to support HD too. Every place where they can show off HD, they should. I hope they get to it!

Speaking of getting to it, take a look HERE. It’s a HD gallery of video clips. (Edit: and someone talks about them here.) Some are movie trailers, others not. But Apple has proclaimed that 2005 is the Year of HD, and they’re moving forward with it adding HD support to their products. They are releasing HD hardware (all their LCD displays are widescreen and support at least HD resolutions, some more) and software. And content. Right. Content is king and all that. Good for you Apple - keep at it! Oh, and here’s a link.