Blu ray or HD DVD: Which Format is Better?

Blu ray technology and HD DVD technology are battling each other to become the DVD format of the next generation. Much like the battle of the 80’s between VHS and Betamax, Blu-ray and HD DVD both want to be the VHS of the 2000’s.

Blu ray Disc is an optical disc format designed for high definition video and high density data storage. Pioneer, Samsung & Sony are the main supporters of the Blu-ray technology. Supporting HD DVD is the movie company Universal Studios as well as technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Toshiba and Microsoft. quite a few of the movie studios have announced that they will be releasing movies in both formats. 84% of the movies released last year support Blu ray making a bold statement for this new technology.

Blu ray has backing from the following studios at the time of this writing; Sony Pictures, MGM, Columbia TriStar, Disney, Touchstone, Miramax, Fox, Paramount, Warner and Lions Gate. HD DVD studio support comes from the following studios; Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, Warner and The Weinstein Company.

Blu ray utilizes a blue violet laser to read data, hence it’s name. This format was created for rewriting, recording and playing of high definition video. They also can store enormous amounts of data. Blu ray discs holds five times more storage capacity than current DVD’s. It can hold over 9 hours of HD video on a disc. High definition video requires a large amount of disc storage space making Blu ray discs a perfect choice for HD.

There are some differences between the two formats. First of all it’s their storage. By utilizing greater numerical aperture lens, Blu-ray is able to fit more data on the same size disc. Because of the larger capacity, movie studios will be able to release movies with more HD features on Blu ray than HD DVD. A Blu-ray disc can hold up to 25GB and a dual layer 54 GB while an HD disc can hold up to 15 GB and a dual layer 30 GB. The other noticeable difference is cost. The Blu ray discs are more expensive.

Now, both Blu-ray and HD players are capable of playing CD’s and DVD’s but HD players are not capable of playing Blu ray discs and vice versa. And that is where the battle begins. You need to decide whether you want to invest in a Blu-ray player or a HD player as each will only be able to play there own format discs.

So let's summarize the format battle. Both formats are comparable in high definition picture quality. When making a decision on which format to purchase, you must consider cost and amount of content available in each format. One thing is for sure, it is a very uncertain market. It’s feasible that you could decide on a technology; purchase a player and buy movies and then be very upset if the format you choose fails in the market. Whichever format has stabilized as the best price and has the most content available by the end of the year will emerge as the victor.

Article Directory: http://www.article-tree.com

Home Theater Solutions (Terry's Company) is our recommended resource for home theater advice on the Internet. For home theater tips and resources visit their website at www.home-theater-solutions.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated