Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD: Where to Invest

By Ryan C. Glanzer

 

Ask the average person to explain the difference between Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs, and you probably won't get many encouraging responses. The truth is the two are a lot alike, and do essentially the same thing: store huge amounts of data. Before long, the public will collectively choose one format over the other, most likely. It's pretty much VHS vs. Beta for the hi-def, digital age.

 

Blu-ray appears to be out to an early lead in popularity over HD-DVD. The first, most obvious advantage is Blu-ray's ability to store 50 GB of data on dual layers, rather than the 30 GB that HD-DVD holds. But, those are figures that are already escalating dramatically. At the CES show in January, Toshiba announced it had developed a 51 GB triple-layer HD-DVD disc. Each HD-DVD layer can hold 15 GB. But in order to one-up Blu-ray, Toshiba developed the technology to squeeze two more gigabytes onto each layer. Unfortunately for the folks at Toshiba, their news was shattered when Sony announced that a 100 GB quadruple-layer Blu-ray disc is in the works. All the while, Ritek has been working to develop a technology that can be used in either Blu-ray or HD-DVD format, allowing for ten layers on a single disc. With such a new technology, it's certain that more and more advancements will continue every day.

 

Blu-ray features a stronger backing in the industry at this point, being the media of choice for Sony, Dell, HP, Hitachi , LG, Microboards, Pioneer, Phillips, Panasonic, Sharp, TDK, and other heavyweights. HD-DVD, however, has only major player—its inventor, Toshiba. Microsoft will offer HD-DVD support in the release of Windows Vista, which should keep it alive and running.

 

If history is any indication, the two formats will never be able to live harmoniously side-by-side. VHS and Beta competed for the home video market in the early 80s, and we all know how that ended, with many still using VHS systems today. In the early 90s, Sony's MultiMedia CD and Toshiba's SuperDensity Disc engaged in battle for public support, but neither side could win the edge over the other. In the end, after eighteen long months of co-existence, the two joined forces and the DVD was born. The folks at Blu-ray and HD-DVD have had no success in efforts to merge into a single, fully-supported format.

 

Even theories that have one format ruling a particular industry are invalid. Blu-ray and HD-DVD are almost equal in the film industry, with 20 th Century Fox, MGM, and Sony Pictures opting for Blu-ray, and Universal and New Line Cinema going the way of the HD-DVD. Essentially, this means that several years from now, only certain movie titles will be available on Blu-ray, and others will be exclusive to HD-DVD (although there are a handful of studios that have already agreed to go both ways). The likelihood of the average consumer owning both a Blu-ray player and HD-DVD player seems improbable.

 

In the computer market, HP, Apple, and Dell have all chosen Blu-ray, while Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft are parting with HD-DVD. In the video game market, Sony's PlayStation 3 produces its games on the Blu-ray disc, while the Microsoft X-Box will begin releasing its titles on HD-DVD.

 

There is the thought that the disc player industry will treat the Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs as it has the DVD-R and the more recent addition of DVD+R, which uses dual-layer technology to store up to 8.5 GB. While the two are both technically DVDs, they don't necessarily work with all the same components. Many older DVD computer drives will only read the –R format. +R only came onto the market in 2002, and the global DVD Forum doesn't recognize DVD+R as an official DVD. Yet, in recent years, drives have been built to accommodate both formats.

 

It seems very possible that Blu-ray and HD-DVD could both survive if the technology to read either disc on the same unit becomes available. In 2006, Samsung announced plans to build the world's first combo player, but plans were stalled when representatives from Blu-ray and HD-DVD balked at the idea, each insisting their formats were far superior and would win over the other in the long run.

 

There is no easy way to determine at this stage which, if either, format will reign superior in the market. Ideally, the two would come to an agreement on a universal format. But since it appears this is far from happening, we will have to choose one over the other.