| IN THE SPOTLIGHT |
By Vicki-lynn Brunskill
Sunday Apr 16, 2006 at 5:55 PM ET
Ever since the introduction of high-definition television in 1998, consumers have waited for a media format to allow playback and recording in high definition. This year brings the introduction of not one, but two high-definition DVD formats -- Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.
In what's shaping up to be a technology war reminiscent of the battle between Sony's Betamax and JVC's VHS in the '70s and '80s, both high-def DVD contenders are backed by different sets of manufacturers and studios, leaving consumers to decide what the next-generation DVD standard will be.
We've designed this page as a primer for those just dipping their toes in the high-def DVD waters, with the goal of providing some foundational information common to both formats, and the apparent pros and cons of each, as they enter the market.
Compatibility
The most important consideration when discussing these formats is that they are not compatible. This means that Blu-Ray players will not play HD-DVD discs, and HD-DVD players won't play Blu-Ray discs. However, both players will be backward compatible, so consumers will be able to play today's standard DVDs in the new machines, regardless of which format they choose.
Technology
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are both high-definition formats and use blue-laser technology. Both technologies have reduced the width of the laser beam that reads a disc to 405 nanometers. The blue-violet laser used by both formats has a shorter wavelength than the red laser used in today's standard DVD drives. This allows more information to be packed onto a disc.
Storage Capacity
The introductory HD-DVD discs hold 15 GB per side (more than five times that of today's standard DVD), but Blu-Ray Discs have a higher capacity -- holding 25 GB per side, and 50 GB for dual layer discs. Blu-Ray is working on a quad layer prototype that will hold 100 GB, while HD-DVD is said to be toying with a triple layer that holds up to 45GB. Advantage: Blu-Ray
Cost
Blu-Ray may rule when it comes to capacity, but industry analysts believe it will be a more expensive product to produce (to the tune of about $10 more a disc, to start). Why? The technology is vastly different than standard DVD and HD-DVD. While both standard DVD and HD-DVD discs have a thin reflective data layer between two polycarbonate layers, Blu-Ray Discs have barely any plastic between the data layer and the laser that reads it. So current DVD manufacturers will have to redesign production lines to accommodate the new format, and these costs will be passed to the consumer. Advantage: HD-DVD
Resolution
Another differentiating factor for these technologies (at least to begin with) is resolution. While standard resolution TVs display images at a screen resolution of 480 lines of vertical resolution, HDTVs display images at a resolution of either 720 or 1080 lines of resolution. HDTVs capable of displaying 1080 lines of resolution come in two flavors: 1080p, and 1080i, with the 'p' standing for progressive and the 'i' meaning interlaced. Progressive display is considered superior because it is capable of displaying all lines in the frame of video in sequential order, rendering a cleaner and more stable picture.
At the moment, only a handful of high-priced HDTVs can reproduce 1080p. Which may be why the first crop of HD-DVD players do not support it. Some of the early Blu-Ray players, however, will support 1080p, and as a result the format has won support among many high-def aficionados as the most truly high-def of the two high-def DVD formats. Considering that the first HD-DVD discs are being released on 1080p (even though there won't be any players capable of playing them back at that resolution), this may not be a differentiating factor at some point in the future. Advantage (for now): Blu-Ray
Launch Dates
Another closely watched difference between the two formats is time to market. While both formats have seen delayed launch dates over the last year, HD-DVD will be the first high-def DVD format to have both hardware (players) and software (discs) on store shelves, with both launching on April 18. Blu-Ray discs will follow next, on May 23, although you won't be able to watch them until June 25, when the first Blu-Ray player is released. Advantage: HD-DVD
Initial Hardware (Players)
As mentioned above, HD-DVD hits the market first, with Toshiba's HD-XA1, hitting stores in the U.S. on April 18, retailing for $800. According to Toshiba, in addition to HD-DVDs the unit will play DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM discs, audio CDs and CD-R/RWs containing WMA and MP3 files. The unit will enhance Standard Definition DVDs (SD DVDs) to 720p or 1080i. Toshiba will also release a less expensive player, the HD-A1. That unit will retail for $500.
On the Blu-Ray side, Samsung will release the first Blu-Ray player, the BD-P1000 on June 25 with an expected street price of about $1,000. The new device will play content at native 720p or 1080i video resolutions. Later this year, Sony is set to release its BDP-S1 Blu-Ray Disc player. The street price will be $1,000, and unlike the initial Samsung release the Sony player will deliver the full 1080p output. Pioneer, LG and Panasonic will also release Blu-Ray Disc (BD) players in the coming months.
Initial Software (Discs)
While most of the major studios have said that they plan on releasing content on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray (at least to start), in a move that's sure to frustrate consumers, Universal and Sony have chosen opposing sides, with Universal saying it will only release its titles on HD-DVD, while Sony says it will only release its titles on Blu-Ray. Mini-major Lionsgate also joins Sony in supporting only Blu-Ray. (For a complete overview of scheduled titles for each format, check out our disc release date pages for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD).
Gaming Console Support
The gaming industry is another hotbed of High-Def DVD activity, with the two major gaming consoles also choosing sides. In January, Microsoft announced it would be launching an Xbox 360 external HD-DVD drive sometime this year. Sony's highly anticipated PlayStation 3, meanwhile, will have a built-in Blu-Ray hard drive, meaning anyone who buys the next generation gaming console will be able to play blu-ray discs off it. With sales of the PlayStation 2 numbering more than 100 million units sold, industry analysts expect the planned November launch of the PlayStation 3 to be the move that exposes the most mainstream consumers to the wonders of high-def DVD. (Big) Advantage: Blu-Ray
And the winner is?
Too soon to tell. In the mid-seventies, when VHS and Betamax were first introduced, Betamax was widely perceived as the better format, but after battling it out for a decade, VHS eventually emerged victorious. Industry experts are predicting an equally long battle for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, with the uncertainty unfortunately likely to lead to a slower overall acceptance rate of high-def DVD among mainstream consumers, who seem likely to sit things out until a winner is more evident.
