HD DVD vs Blu-Ray - Essay Example

HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray The DVD disc has been a revolutionary product for home entertainment and electronics. For almost a decade, it has gradually replaced VHS and VCDs as the standard storage media for movies. Its capacity allows film industries to carry higher quality video and sound to every household, and further realizes the dream of having a personal home-theater. However, DVD has become insufficient to meet the demand of future video. In fact, a format revolution is under way and the new High-Definition Video is ready to replace even the standard DVD. As a result, the new generation DVD has been developed to satisfy the demand. Currently, there are two different formats of new generation DVD, and both are competing to become the victor. On one side is the Blu-ray Disc technology, while the other side is HD DVD. These are two possible successors to the current disc format. While having different technical specifications, they both serve the purpose of meeting high definition requirements and are both prepared to make an impact on the world of entertainment. DVD, or the Digital Video Disc, is the current generation of optical disc format conventionally used for data and movie storage. DVDs share the same dimensions of a compact disc, but data is stored in a different format and at a much higher density. It had its peak usability back when the conventional movie storage media was VHS and Video CDs. With a higher capacity, DVDs are able to display higher quality video using a higher amount of data. Many retailers and movie rental stores today have stopped selling VHS in favor of DVDs. As technology continues to improve, DVD proves inadequate to meet the rising demand for high-definition video. High Density Digital Video Disc, or the HD DVD, and the Blu-ray Disc are developed to satisfy the need for storing high quality content. Blu-ray Discs may be the revolutionary storage disc however HD DVD will prove to be better choice in any case. Let's see why. The technology of HD DVD is primarily promoted by three of the top electronic and software manufacturers, Toshiba, NEC, and Sanyo, with Microsoft and Intel recently joined. In November 2003, HD DVD was approved by the DVD Forum, an organization that develops and defines DVD formats, to be the standard of the new generation optical disc format (HD DVD Promotion Group). The name HD DVD is described in the review article "HD DVD vs. Blu-ray: Who Cares" by David Carnroy, an executive editor in CNet.com, as much more consumer-friendly product. Consumers are more likely to refer to the name as the new generation DVD (Carnroy). The HD DVD, introduced by the DVD Forum, is a format that shares the 12cm diameter and 1.2mm thickness of the current DVD discs, yet is able to deliver eight hours of High Definition video on a dual-layer, single-sided disc. HD DVD's improvement in capacity is made possible by the new Blue-violet laser technology that provides a shorter light wavelength than the traditional red laser. The new Blue laser can store data even more compactly than before, enabling six times more data to be packed on the same size disc (DVD Forum). Using the disc with the same dimension and structure as the current DVD, HD DVD is not only capable of playing the previous generation DVD videos, but also gives manufacturers an easy and cost-effective way to convert their DVD line to one for HD DVD. This advantage is further emphasized by Memory-Tech, a Japanese manufacturer of optical media, who stated it would cost only ten percent more to produce HD DVDs than the current format in the initial period (Competing for DVD Supremecy). Cost-effective conversion of the DVD line also implies the lower price of products, allowing HD DVD to take over the market and become popularized sooner than its competitor. The cost-effective manufacture line conversion and its consumer friendly brand name seem to have given HD DVD an unbeatable chance of becoming the exclusive standard of the new generation optical format. Yet, its flaw on capacity has given the Blu-ray Disc a chance. According to the HD DVD Promotion Group, HD DVD holds a total capacity of 15GB as a single layer disc, while a double layer disc stores up to 30GB. Toshiba, the leading developing company of HD DVD technology, claimed that a triple layer disc with capacity of 45GB is undergoing development. Although HD DVD has made significant improvements in capacity, it is still considerably lower than that of its competitor. According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the founders of Blu-ray Disc technology, "The Blu-ray Disc format offers the highest capacity of any consumer media to date, also greatly surpassing the capacity of other format proposals." Blu-ray Disc uses the same Blue-violet laser as the HD DVD. A single-layer Blu-ray disc is sized 25GB and 50GB for a double-layer disc. Its size allows users to store thirty percent more data than the HD DVD. With a larger capacity, Blu-ray has become a strong force in competing with the HD DVD. However HD DVD hit back this January when Toshiba announced that by adding just two gigs on a layer, a HD DVD can beat the Blu-ray Disc's capacity by one GB to give it a slight advantage of storing 51 GB of data. But just a few days later, Sony announced that it was developing a 100GB Blu-ray Disc, however such a Disc is still in development phase hence HD DVD has gained a competitive edge here as well for the time being. (Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD: Where to Invest) Similar to the HD DVD, Blu-ray is also developed to satisfy the demand of storing High-Definition videos. In fact, Blu-ray contains a feature that is exclusively designed for recording. According to Carnroy, "[Blu-ray Disc has the] ability to play back the content while recording to the disc at the same time." This feature makes Blu-ray Disc a product for home-theatre entertainment where consumers would find recording as convenient as they could imagine. Despite its great recording feature, Blu-ray was never sent to the DVD Forum for evaluation; however, the format has never lacked support from the industry. Manufacturers from the industry seem to have great confidence in this technology, and their confidence is shown through their support. The Blu-ray Disc is currently backed by a group of influential computer and media manufacturers. These companies include Dell and Hewlett-Packard, the top two computer manufacturers, as well as Sony, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, and ten other companies (Carnroy). Support from computer manufacturers give the Blu-ray Disc an advantage of being used in those supporters' products, as well as a guarantee of a space on the market. The format is also propelled by electronics companies, such as Sony, because it is regularly placed in products ranging from portable DVD players to multimedia gaming machines, such as the Sony Playstation 3. Despite Blu-ray's potential advantage in higher capacity, it can cost much more to manufacture, and consumers may pay a higher price as compared to HD DVD. The price of Blu-ray movies can run upwards of $35-40, as compared to HD DVDs primarily selling for $23-29. HD DVD is relatively more affordable and provides an equal level of high definition quality and its capacity is slightly higher than of Blu-ray. Microsoft also supports HD DVD by offering an HD DVD drive with its X-Box 360 gaming system, giving consumers an alternative to the Sony Playstation 3's high definition disc drive. Many computer manufacturers, such as Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Acer, also provide HD DVD drives at cheaper prices as alternatives to the Blu-ray drives they offer. The new generation disc can make an impact on the entertainment world by bringing quality movies to every household. For years, consumers have been enjoying movies in the theater for its great sound quality and huge screen, and the television in the living room has only been an unequal alternative. However, the new generation disc is about to overthrow that situation. With the great features it carries, it can turn a living room into the place of greater entertainment. The large capacity of Blu-Ray, for example, allows the quality of a movie to possibly surpass the quality of the films that are currently shown in the theater. People in the future would go to the theater for the newest showing, but certainly not for the best quality of film possible. The new generation disc opens the door for a new digital era in entertainment. A higher resolution picture carries better quality but at the same time requires higher capacity storage media, and only the new disc formats can satisfy such demand. Congress has announced the plan to convert all analog television broadcasting to digital in 2009 (Digital Television). Broadcasting television in digital format allows high-definition programs to be transmitted. A High-Definition picture has a resolution up to 1080 lines, which is able to provide a much more detailed picture than the 480 lines of resolution of analog TV (Digital Televison). The HD DVD can store up to 8 hours of High-Definition videos (HD DVD Promotion Group) and 10 hours for the Blu-ray Disc, while the current format DVD is only capable of storing three and a quarter hours length (Blu-ray Disc Association). Recording a high-definition program becomes realistic because of the new disc formats. Features that were designed for recording have made it easier for consumers to record their favorite programs, and at the same time, provides no compromise in quality. The new disc formats provide each household with a whole new experience, and at the same time, bring society a true revolution in the way entertainment can be perceived. The experience that the new disc formats will bring to every household will influence the way people behave in society. With the stunning quality of video it carries, watching a movie in the living room will be a source for increased enjoyment. People don't have to go out looking for fun, as their own living room will become a great source of leisure. In addition, it will bring further improvements to computer storage. With its high capacity, it will be able to lower the cost of massive data storage. Its small physical size has made it a portable hard drive. Massive data transferring will be easy and people will be able to transfer their movies, music, documents, and other files to each other. At the same time, they will also use it to back up their important data and never have to worry about losing it if the computer crashes. Computer users are more likely to share their data with their friends and back up their large quantities of files because of the convenient features brought by the new generation disc. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have been in competition since 2006. Such a competition, wrought from the experiences of previous format wars, benefits no one and will only hurt both sides. Consumers are less likely to buy any product, because according to Stephen Shank Land in his article, "FAQ: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray," "consumers must gamble that investments in disc players and video collections are in a format that will prevail." The divided case will slow down the process of replacing the new generation disc over the current format. Consumers are likely to be confused by the two, and will wait until the two formats get together and form one. Retailers and video rental stores will have to decide which format to provide because it will be expensive providing both formats. However, according to Shank Land, it is conceivable that the two formats can unite. The previous format war (VHS vs. Beta Max) struggled for eighteen months before their unification, and the result benefited the consumers as well as the industry. However, in this format war, "there could be no single victor" (Shank Land). Each side is backed by a huge conglomeration, and it is hard to manage a compromise that would satisfy both sides. But surely one of them will take a lead once they officially start distribution into stores. Pre-deciding which one to stick with can be increasingly difficult. Similarities are apparent in both the formats but it is the differences that are not too dissimilar which makes a choice this hard. Looking at the similarities, both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray Disc have exact same product dimensions, they incredibly easy to use and very importantly they can contain the same quality of video display. As far as the differences are concerned, Blu-ray Discs will probably have a slight advantage in its higher capacity in the future though this advantage would come at a cost as HD DVDs are cheaper. However to actually decide which option to go for, things have to be looked more deeply. From a consumer point of view, a consumer would want to watch movies that are released on the format they hold. At the moment Blu-ray Disc has many supporters including Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Buena Vista and Lionsgate. This means that movies from these studios will only be available in Blu-ray Disc format in the future. The situation looks bad from this point of view since HD DVD only has the support from First Look Studios, The Weinstein Company, Universal and Viacom (Paramount, DreamWorks, MTV, Nickelodeon) however the most of the market share is held by these companies meaning that owners of a HD DVD player would benefit as most watched movies will be available to them. (HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray: Which to buy and When to Wait) Another important aspect that must be analyzed is how the consumers will use the product. The deciding factor that deals a final blow against the Blu-ray Disc is the high cost of its viewing device that is the Blu-ray Disc Player. A Blu-ray Disc standalone player costs more that $500 in the market while a HD DVD player can be purchased for prices even lesser than $300. Although purchasing a player is a one time cost, such big a difference rules in the favor of HD DVD players. So at one end you have the revolutionary Blu-ray Disc and on the other you have the cheaper, trustworthy HD DVD. Which one to go for The much cheaper player factor along with lesser cost for the HD DVDs with negligible difference in display quality, more consumer friendly and a slight advantage of having an additional GB in capacity at the moment is reason enough for a person to opt for a HD DVD. Works Cited "HD DVD Promotion Group".Website. november, 2007. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/index.html "HD DVD Vs. Blu-Ray: Who Cares".Article. december, 2004. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-8900_7-5600201-1.html "DVD Forum". Website. November, 2007. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://www.dvdforum.org/forum.shtml "Competing for DVD Supremecy". Article. September, 2004. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/technology/20newcon.htmlpagewanted=2&n=Top/News/Technology/Columns/New%20Economy "DIGITAL TELEVISION (DTV) Tomorrow's TV Today!".Website. November, 2007. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html#faq1 "Blu-Ray Disc Association". Website. November, 2007. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://blu-raydisc.com/ "FAQ: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray". Website. October, 2005. Retrieved on November 5, 2007 at http://www.news.com/FAQ-HD-DVD-vs.-Blu-ray/2100-1041_3-5886956.html "HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray: Which to buy and When to Wait". Website. September, 2007. Retrieved on December 5, 2007 at http://www.bivingsreport.com/2007/hd-dvd-vs-blu-ray-which-to-buy-and-when-to-wait "Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD: Where to Invest" By Ryan C. Glanzer. Website. Retrieved on December 5, 2007 at http://blu-ray-data-storage.com/Blu-ray%20vs%20HD%20DVD.htm Read More