HD DVD Introduction

  

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High Definition DVD Today

Until recently, two rival formats had been fighting to be the successor to DVD. On the one side, HD-DVD, the next logical step from the existing DVD technology, backed by Toshiba and the HD-DVD Promotion Group. On the opposite side, the Sony-backed Blu-Ray disc so-called because the technology uses a refined blue laser that maximises storage capabilities.

The great news for consumers is that Blu-ray has emerged as the dominant format, Toshiba (heading the HD-DVD consortium) conceding victory to the rival High Definition DVD consortium.

Although Toshiba had been battling on after Warner Brothers decision to back Blu-ray in early 2008, many believe that the big Hollywood studio's decision dealt a mortal blow to the HD DVD format. With around 20% of all DVD sales, the Warner's decision was certainly a huge set back for the HD DVD format.

What is Blu-Ray?

Blu-Ray Logo

Blu-Ray is the alternative format to HD DVD, offering a considerable increase in storage capacity with its 25 to 50 GB data capacity. A standard Blu-Ray disc holds 27GB of information which is about 40 times the amount of data that a CD can hold.

Although the technology is identical to CDs and DVDs, the fundamental difference with Blu-Ray is the laser that is used to read the discs. A blue laser is used instead of the usual red laser. They have a shorter wavelength than red lasers and therefore the beam can be focused on a smaller area which in short means you can fit more data on an identically sized disc.

However, the new laser means that Blu-Ray discs are not readable on standard CD and DVD players. Many Blu-Ray disc drives, however, will be backwards-compatible to enable playback of the older disc formats.

The Blu-ray Disc format offers the highest capacity out of the two formats. Blu-ray Discs are also hard coated offering a much stronger resistance to scratches and fingerprints than other existing and proposed formats. They do not require a cartridge and can be used as a bare disc, similar to DVD and CD. 

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