HD-DVD VS. Blu-ray: HD’s Position
Since their advent, consumers have been fascinated by Blu-ray and HD-DVD. These high definition video formats promise better picture and sound quality for the movies you love so much. Accepting that you invested thousands in televisions or video projectors and sound equipment that can actually support a high definition format. The questions that most consumers are asking are:
1.Should I sell my DVD collection to make room for the newer, better media?
2.Which type of disc is better?
3.Will consumers largely choose one format over the other giving either HD or Blu-ray all the support?
4.Is Blu-ray or HD-DVD that much better than the DVD’s I have now?
5.What will the cost for the discs and the players be?
No one wants to spend the money to build up a new High Definition video collection only to find that in a few years Blu-ray has gone the way of Betamax. I mean, think about the number of DVD’s that you’ve seen in the past six months. How many of them did you borrow from friends or rent? If you choose the wrong format you might find youself with a very expensive, nearly useless player, and a collection of overpriced discs. There has been a push for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD to use similar encoding that can be read by one type of player, but thus far there have been no peace talks, only war.
The Technology
From a technology standpoint, HD-DVD comes up short. There are two major things to consider when comparing the technology of an HD-DVD and a Blu-ray disc: how much information can they hold, and how quickly can that information be rendered as a movie? HD-DVD is said to be able to store about 30GB. The average data transfer rate is around 18 Mbps, the peak rate being about 29 Mbps. Right now no one is pushing these limits, but when movies with better audio and video come around, HD-DVD may not be able to support them.
Camp HD
Fortunately for HD-DVD, technology isn’t the only consideration. Who will back the technology? Will it run on your computer? Will you be able to find or get maintenance on players in the future? Right now HD-DVD is backed by some major players in the tech industry including: Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo and Memory-Tech. Microsoft is also supporting HD-DVD. They haven’t made an official decision on whether or not to back Blu-ray yet, but as yet Microsoft representatives have only said bad things about it.
The Market
Out of the gate, HD-DVD has been more consumer friendly than Blu-ray. Blu-ray’s name connotes proprietary technology, while HD-DVD sounds like the DVD’s we all know and love, just better. HD-DVD’s also carry the same basic structure as current DVD’s meaning that it will cost a lot less to convert to convert a plant that makes DVD’s into a plant that makes HD-DVD’s. This is supposed to translate to lower consumer cost, but it hasn’t exactly worked out that way. HD-DVD’s currently cost a few dollars more than Blu-ray, which is in the neighborhood or $25.
Analysis
It is hard to say which side will win out. HD-DVD has recruited some major studios including Warner, Paramount, and New Line Cinema, but they have decided to play it safe and support both formats. So, we know that there will continue to be HD-DVD releases. HD-DVD also has the advantage of a lower-cost player. The difference in price is at about $200. So maybe Blu-ray will end up being for the rich, and HD-DVD for the rest. As for now, hold on to your DVD’s and watch as this battle continues to lower prices. Finally a war that will benefit everyone. Well, almost everyone anyway.
