HD-DVD Vs. Blu-Ray – What if they BOTH win?

Thursday, Feb. 1 2007 | Author: Michael

We talk about these format wars all the time. There are
fanboys in
both camps, (I think largely because of their game console affiliation)
- but we know that ultimately consumers are only going to tolerate one
format…right?

Maybe Not.

Here’s Why:

Let’s start with some facts about the two platforms:

Storage Capacity

cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">

	Blu-Ray	HD-DVD
Single Layer	25GB	15GB
Dual Layer	50GB	30GB
Tested Limit	100GB	45GB
Theoretical Limit	200GB	60GB

Studio Support

cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">

Blu-Ray	HD-DVD
Sony Dell Hewlett-Packard Hitachi LG Electronics Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) Mitsubishi Electric Philips Electronics Apple Pioneer Electronics Samsung Electronics Sharp TDK Thomson Multimedia	Toshiba NEC Sanyo Memory-Tech Microsoft Intel

Console
Support

The Playstation 3 supports Blu-Ray disks, while the Xbox 360 has a
low-cost HD-DVD player add-on to the Xbox 360.

Player Costs

Blu-Ray players are currently more epensive than HD-DVD players by
several hundred dollars…but that could change in the future.

Special Features

HD-DVD has special feature capabilties that Blu-Ray currently lacks.
An example of this is at a demo attended by John C. Divorak,
he reported that the HD-DVD pitch men showed him a copy of The Fast and
the Furious: Toyko Drift where the viewer could customize the look of
the car in the movie.

So, just what the hell am
I talking about anyway?

Well, with the above mentioned facts in mind we can see a few things.

1) HD-DVD players are less expensive for the consumer to purchase, and
HD-DVDs have some more compelling movie specific features, like
customizing in-movie vehicles.

2) Blu-Ray has TONS more storage, and major electronics support.

So when I look at these facts I come to two conclusions.

1 – HD-DVD is better
suited for movies on my television. The players
are cheaper, the disks are cheaper, and the possibilities of the novely
special features could be compelling in the future.

2 – Blu-Ray is better
suited for my computer. The storage capacity of
the Blu-Ray disk puts the HD-DVD counterpart to shame. 100 to
200 gigs a disk is EXACTLY what we need in this age of digital content.
As your life becomes more and more digital, 200 gigs is going
to look more and more like the 700mbs we have on our CD-Rs today.

Conclusion/Prediction

These formats are not going away anytime soon. Over the next
few years the prices will drop, but eventually I think Blu-Ray will not
be the player of choice for your Hollywood movie content.
HD-DVD will win the consumer support for Hollywood content by
being cheaper and having more flashy features.

However, Blu-Ray is a clear winner when it comes to the drive that I
want in my computer, and I think, ultimately, that’s what going to
happen.

HD-DVD = Movies. style="font-weight: bold;">

Blu-Ray = Data Storage.

So…what do you think?

[Date used in this article is from href="http://www.hack247.co.uk/2007/01/07/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-a-comparison/">Hack
247]

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5 Responses for "HD-DVD Vs. Blu-Ray – What if they BOTH win?"

Marty

February 1st, 2007 at 3:30 pm
1

“100 to 200 gigs a disk is EXACTLY what we need in this age of digital content.”

Yeah, cause I’ve been wanting to make a hundred copies of World of Warcraft and put them on one disc. I also need a disc to put a couple million mp3s on. WTF do you need with 200 gigs?

Dude, if HD-DVD is the movie format of choice, then HD-DVD is the winner.
Paul Strauss

February 1st, 2007 at 4:19 pm
2

I think that both format COULD “win”. In this market that’s all about consumer choice, both formats could be popular. Think about how many media players play AAC format, and how many play MP3 format, yet both thrive. It’s sorta like saying, which will win, Nissan or Toyota?

Maybe there is enough room in the market for both these days.
assente

February 3rd, 2007 at 8:18 am
3

Both formats has been cracked, so you can burn an hd-dvd movie in a blu-ray, but you can’t do viceversa.. think about it
Milt R. Smith

February 11th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
4

Ultimate price will determine
the “winner”: Whichever
format brings a player to
market at around $169
street price takes it
all as to a mass-consumer
media device. The porn
industry, like it or
not, has already decided
on HD-DVD and that is a
H U G E market, as was
proven years ago with
VHS, and tipped the
balance. The inherent
cost advantages of
HD-DVD will win the
day for the general
public as well. Sony
can huff & puff all
they want, but
basic economics is
the final arbiter.
Dose of Reality

February 16th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
5

Porn industry is no longer a factor. Back when it first showed up on VHS it was a new delivery for exotic entertainment ( i mean that losely no pun intended). However we have several ways of aquiring porn, one of which being the internet. No if you want break the chicken and the egg problem you need an outside influence. PS3 is that enfluence and so is PC storage. Special features take up space too and I don’t think the HD-DVD disc will be able to take advantage of those features as it will be eating up all its space with commentary reels and cut footage. DVD fell victum to this as it has some features that were never used including an option to rotate the camera in certain movie scenes. Also adding features like changing the paint on a car is well…. kind of lame. I want to watch the movie, not customize it like it was a video game. I have games for that in which I can see my work in action. Plus it will cost more to add those bonus features that will go heavily unused by the general market. Hands down BluRay is the clear winner here. HD-DVD is just a technology based on a dieing technology. Plus BluRay players use Java for their menuing system, so alot of those features can be marketed as engines for the player at a later time and distributed in a cost effective manner.