BLU-RAY Vs HD DVD!!!!!!

[crank]

HAVING BBEEN TOLD THAT BLU-RAY AND HD DVD ARE DUE OUT IN ABOUT 6 MONTHS TIME.AND THEY FORSEE THIS AS BEING LIKENED TO THE VHS Vs BETAMAX WAR OF THE 80s.WOULD IT BE BEST TO HOLD ON AND NOT JUMP IN STRAIGHT AWAY AND SHOW SOME PATIENCE,WAITING TO SEE WHO COMES OUT ON TOP!!.COS IF HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF I WOULD END UP WITH A BETAMAX!!!!!!!!. ANYMORE VIEWS ON THIS PPPPPLEASE!!!!

[Jules]

There's a whole thread on the issue of HDD/BluRay.

My feeling is that unless the 2 camps can reach a compromise and merge somehow, then they will both flop just as the SACD / DVD Audio formats have.
The general public is now wiser than at the time of VHS/Betamax, and most people will sit this one out..... and then of course both will fail.

PS... STOP SHOUTING AND TURN YOUR CAPS LOCK OFF!
It makes your speak much harder to read and appears aggressive!

[crank]

aggressive me!!!never i do appologise

[AML]

There are many threads about this but Ill do my best to tell you what has been happening.

Blu Ray belongs to Sony. They developed this format to be a succesor to DVD.

Technologicaly speaking it is superior to HD DVD in a few ways. Bigger capacity and such.
A one layerd Blu Ray disk can hold 25gb and 2 layer version 50gb. I beleive they are talking about a possible 4 layer version holding 100gb.

It may seem like too much but in the distant future 100gb wont be as much as we think, especially when u start considering Hi definition.

Remember when DVD first came out? No one thought we would ever fill 4gb!!

These are the benefits to Blu Ray.

The negative aspects are that its a whole new system and therfore will cost more money to produce as it requires new production machines and such.

The only other negative aspect is that its made by sony. And they dont have the best track record.


HD DVD is made by Toshiba and is 15gb single layer and 30gb dual. Im sure they will figure out how to increase the capacity over time.

Benefits are that it is cheaper to make than Blu Ray as it uses similar methods to DVD production therefore doesnt need new production machines. Existing machines can be refited to work.

Its cheaper, yet holds less capacity. For now the capacity would be enough, but if we consider the long term Blu Ray would be preferable.

On the support side of things, Many film studios are split between Blu Ray and HD DVD as their future format.

Sony Pictures, MGM, Disney and a few others support Blu Ray while the rest support HD DVD.

Some are undecided at this point.

At this time, HD DVD plan to release their first players/recorders at the end of this year.

Sony plans to deliver the first decent Blu Ray player in the form of the PS3.

(yes there are currently some Blu Ray recorders available in Japan, but they only record. They also wont be compatible with the full spec version that will come out in the near future.)

This I beleive is a good strategy on sony's side as it will give them a large instaled base to work from.

Anyone buying a PS3 will also in effect be buying a Blu Ray player. (i dont know if it will also record or not)

They did the same thing with the PS2. (DVD that time)


Once the hardware is out, we will start seeing the software.

At one point these two rivals were going to work together and make a single format based on the two systems. But that seems to have evaporated.

There will be a war of some sort. Blu Ray has a lot of back up this time. It has the companies that support it, it has the PS3 behind it and Sonys full attention.

Negative points will be the cost.

HD DVD also has good support and will be cheaper.
Micorosoft recently came to an agreement with the HD DVD camp and they will also be supporting HD DVD. Thats a big step forward for the format as it means windows and possibly the XBox 360 will support the format.

The only negative thing I can think of is that it might lack storage capacity.

[Rasczak]

You missed the core advantage of HD DVD - it's durability. Like DVD it uses a 0.6mm structure whereas BluRay uses a 0.1mm design - which, by definition, is considerably more prone to damage. Originally BluRay was designed to be in a caddy (like some DVD-RAMs or old CDRs) but this was dropped as it look 'unfashionable'. Instead hopes have been placed in the same type of coatings that cover scratchproof DVDRs - good coatings but not exactly 100% effective on DVD let alone BluRay!

[AML]

I guess we will all just have to be REAL carefull!

Yeah, the whole caddy thing wouldnt have worked. But thats how DVD RAM started out and now we can get caddy-less RAM disks that are pretty tough.
Im sure Blu Rays will be the same.

[Rasczak]

I guess we will all just have to be REAL carefull!

Not if (when?) HD DVD wins the format war

[crank]

Again i feel as though i have been honoured with the presence of the GURU(AML) gainig knowledge beyond the empty box it once was!!!

[Steve N]

My feeling is that they won't merge and that one will not win out over the other , although one may gain dominance over a period of time.
Too many egos' and potential cash is involved.
Recent history supports this theory.
look at PS x XBox, SACD x DvdA.
The most pertinent comparison, though, is the current DVD write/rewrite technologies which the new formats are hoping to supercede.
None of the current formats gave in or did a "betamax". What evolved were machines able to read/play multi formats.
Depressing as it sounds, there could be benefits to us if this scenario prevails. The competing factions will fight tooth and nail to gain dominance and this will result in price cutting and the fight to produce better technology in an effort the outdo the competition. Also I believe, when the dust clears, the manufacturers will follow the current route and, in an effort to maximise revinue, produce multi format machines and will read/play both Blueray and HD dvd with us, the buying public, using our favourites (as now) just for the home recording aspect.

[AML]

If this happens we would benefit as it would mean having a choice between cheap and cheerful (HD DVD) and higher cost but better quality (blu Ray).

It is sort of like that today with DVD. You could buy a cheap first release of a DVD and only pay a few quid or dollards for it, or you could wait for the "Super Duper Special Ultimate, Superbit Edition that comes with 5 disks and DTS sound for the menu" versions.

I imagine that HD DVD would be the first release and Blu Ray the collectors release offering more extras and better quality as it has more capacity.

In the long run though, Blu Ray could win out over HD as it has more capacity.

HD will in my opinion win out in the short run as it is cheaper and faster to produce.

[Rasczak]

If this happens we would benefit as it would mean having a choice between cheap and cheerful (HD DVD) and higher cost but better quality (blu Ray).

If we start seeing companies releases their products on both BluRay and HD DVD then, given the cost of preparing a high definition transfer, the release is likely to be the same, i.e. if they prepare a release for a 15GB HD DVD disk then this will be pushed out at exactly the same bitrate on 25GB BluRay - only with the latter you'll have a poorer medium for storage and 10GB wasted space. Likewise if a company is preparing a release for a 30GB HD DVD we may see the bitrate dropped so it fits on a 25GB BluRay disc.

I think once people see the amazing quality available on a 15GB HD DVD, let alone a 30GB or 45GB variant, the capacity argument of BluRay will diminish. Talk of 100GB/200GB BluRay's is nice (and a repeat of the 8 layer DVDs we were going to see!) but, in reality, by the time those capacities are required a new format will be here - one that isn't the size of a sandwitch because it doesn't require 8 layers glued together

[wannabeav]

Crank, think the only thing for certain is that one knows for definate what is gonna win. I have same thoughts as you at the moment particularly as I'm about to buy a new DVD player - do i go for a top end player and wait for the HD-DVD / Blu Ray battle to commence or get a cheapie player now and buy into one of the technologies asap.

After months of 'worry' I'm gonna get a decent player now and see what happens - it could be years before things level out ( or i could go and buy a new HD-DVD player next year (or a Blu ray!))

[Rasczak]

I have same thoughts as you at the moment particularly as I'm about to buy a new DVD player - do i go for a top end player and wait for the HD-DVD / Blu Ray battle to commence or get a cheapie player now and buy into one of the technologies asap

Get yourself a decent DVD player now - one that does everything that you want to the quality you want it. The first HD DVD and BluRay players will be here within 12 months - but you can bet your bottom dollar that they won't be exceptional DVD players: the money will be spent on their MPEG4 decoders and onboard sound decoding.

Isn't it more likely that both formats will fail and be replaced by legal downloads off the internet?

That would bypass the foramt war altogether. You could just use a software plugin for different resolutions and encoding systems etc.

[PJTX100]

Simply wait and see what format porn gets released on. Then you'll have your answer. My money is on BLUE ray..PJ