Remember the “VHS and Beta war?” It was during those times that people were confused as to what type of player they would need. Most of the time it would lead to frustration since sometimes there are films we wanted to see that were not available in our version. We end up buying another player instead, and spend so much money on entertainment alone. Today, another format war is brewing, and it’s between the next generation sets of DVD. Each side has its own support, and neither has plans of backing down. We compare HD DVD and Blu-Ray to see what the difference and what platforms we may need and what we can do.
Blu-Ray is a HD disc that can store up to 25G worth of memory in a single layer. Blu-ray can work both sides, and therefore it is expected to pack 50G worth of memory. Most of the DVD discs right now average only about 2-5G of memory. Blu-ray was specifically created for HD TVs for maximum enjoyment. This type of disc is supported by famous labels like Apple, HP, Panasonic and Sony who developed the discs. These companies will release movies that are in this format only. Playstation 3 has the internal ability to play Blu-Ray discs. If you are to store a standard movie in a disc, you could place at least 22 hours of movies there. HD movies are played for 8.5 hours.
On the other hand, HD DVD has a memory of 15G on one side and 30G in both sides. The main supporters of this format are Microsoft, Toshiba, NEC, RCA, Kenwood and Intel. The XBOX 360s released in 2006 can play movies in HD DVD format. The upper hand of HD DVD with its competitor is the sponsorship and sole distributor of some of the world’s famous adult labels. Consider the fact that this industry alone racked up $57 billion last year.
If you’re really concerned on what format to support or buy, here is my personal tip: buy the one that’s going to be different with your console. It’s quite bad to have an HD DVD while at the same time having a XBOX 360 that can play the same format. If you have a Blu-Ray player with your XBOX, the format will not be a problem for you. Another consolation is, some movie making companies refuse to the exclusivity so that they wouldn’t incur losses on their end as well. Paramount, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. are some of the companies that release their movies in both formats.
There are even stand alone players being developed that could play both formats without any hassle. As of this writing, there are already three development companies who introduced this kind of technology, and it shouldn’t be long before these players would be available in the market.
Right now, make sure you have both of the format players by using one for games and the other for movies. Though it may hurt you somehow in your pocket, it’s always great to be ready for the next generation of formats.
- Suggest link to related directory categories: Home Electronics, Science and Technology Directory
[...] The battle between HD-DVD and Blu Ray to be the dominate video format has been raging for a few years now. For most of that time, neither format has held a decisive lead, but in the last six months Blu Ray has begun pulling ahead of HD-DVD. [...]
Pingback by Blu-Ray Overtakes HD-DVD in Japan — January 28, 2008 @ 6:27 pm