Blu Ray vs HD DVD - Technology Wars
The question is no longer who will win the Blu Ray vs HD DVD format war, but rather, “What makes Blu Ray DVDs so superior?” and “Do I really need one?” Tech geeks say when Disney and Warner Brothers switched sides, from backing Toshiba and Microsoft’s HD DVD to backing Sony’s Blu Ray, the war officially ended. Consumers who felt the urgency of needing to have the new gear were sandwiched in the middle.
First of all, when looking at the Blu Ray vs HD DVD specifics, you’ll notice that Blu Ray discs have far superior storage space. Traditionally, DVDs were first made to hold 4.7 GB of material on a single-layer, and later, the double layer boosted storage capacity up to 8.5 Gigs. HD DVD promised to more than triple that, delivering 15-30 GBs. Blu Ray DVDs, however, can hold an astounding 25-50 GBs of data, meaning that they use more advanced coding to include more audio tracks and more stunning visual information, as well as adding more bonus features. You will notice the high definition of a HD DVD or Blu Ray disc at once. Regular DVDs supported a resolution of 720×480 pixels, while HDTV offers 1920×1080 pixels.
The next major difference between Blu Ray vs HD DVD was their alliances. Early on, motion picture companies, manufacturers and distributors understood that they would need to get aligned with the new technology. But could Blu Ray and HD DVD coexist? It would be costly, not to mention extremely confusing for consumers. When the DVD format first came out, there was no mistaking a VHS tape and a DVD on the shelves. However, with Blu Ray discs and HD DVD discs looking almost identical, buyers would really have to scrutinize the packaging to be sure they were not buying the wrong thing. Traditional DVDs will still play on the new machines, but manufacturers are working on phasing out the old DVD format, releasing all new movies as Blu Ray discs. In the Blu Ray vs HD DVD war, Paramount/DreamWorks and Universal initially supported the HD DVD format, while Warner Brothers, Disney, Sony, Lions Gate, Fox and MGM signed exclusive deals with Blu Ray. Finally, Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD and conceded defeat.
While the Blu Ray vs HD DVD war has been won, consumers are well advised to hold off on any major Bluray player purchases until the dust has settled. Tech geeks still warn that other versions of the players are scheduled to come out. The next version, the Blu Ray players 2.0 will have more memory, moving from 256 MB to 1 GB, will include an ethernet port for connection to the internet and will offer online content capacity, also known as “BD-Live.” Therefore, holding off will give consumers more advantages than just a lower price.
By Tech Editor
