Blu-Ray or HD DVD? The Rumble Ahead

High Definition Content Standards Clash Slowdowns Progress

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/30/2005 | 04:12 PM ]

Thanks to emergence of HDTV and appropriate content, nowadays typical DVD discs are not enough to store a long movie along with extra features consumers need. High definition DVDs, such as HD DVD or Blu-ray discs, can both definitely solve the problem well. Even the HD DVD with significantly lower capacity than Blu-ray discs will be enough for a long time. But here comes the war of formats: the Blu-ray seems to be more future proof, but HD DVD would be backwards compatible with DVDs and offer better pricing.

<%BANNER[article_nw]%>

“Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both use blue lasers, which operate at lower wavelengths (405 nanometers) than current red lasers (650 nanometers). That microscopic difference goes a long way. Longer wavelengths suffer more diffraction, which limits their ability to focus tightly on a surface. But a blue laser's shorter wavelength allows it to read and write data over a much tighter surface area, which in turn allows storage of far more data on a disc that's roughly the same diameter of current DVDs. The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: New players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes) – a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales,” an article over eCoustics.com explains.

“The HD-DVD format could become far more widely available to consumers sooner and at a lower price (at least initially) than Blu-Ray discs. That's because the HD-DVD format utilizes manufacturing techniques very similar to those used for the current generation of DVDs. Translation: Third-party duplication houses won't have to retool their factories significantly to make HD-DVDs a reality. That means that HD-DVD discs likely will be the first to market by at least several months, probably by the end of 2005,” the web-site claims.

“On the other hand, Blu-Ray discs require an entirely new manufacturing process with transition costs borne largely by duplicators (unless Blu-Ray backers devise a subsidy system. That, along with other issues, is expected to delay the introduction of Blu-Ray discs until sometime in 2006, which could hand a major advantage to the HD-DVD format,” clarifies eCoustics.com.

• eCoustics.com: The Showdown: Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD.