HD-DVD versus Blu-ray Disc (BD)
Here is a summary of HD-DVD versus Blu-ray, the two primary media formats vying to replace DVD. The DVD Forum is developing HD-DVD, and the Blu-ray Disc Association is developing Blu-ray. Both organizations are consortiums of industry players. The information below was collected on December 9, 2004. Note that Sony has chosen Blu-Ray for its Playstation 3.
Major Corporate Sponsorshop for HD-DVD
| Company | Industry | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Toshiba | Electronics | $6 bil |
| NEC | Electronics | $5 bil |
| Paramount Pictures (Viacom) |
Entertainment - Diversified | $27 bil |
| Universal Studios (GE) | Conglomerates | $144 bil |
| Warner Bros./New Line Cinema (Time Warner) |
Entertainment - Diversified | $39 bil |
Major Corporate Sponsorshop for Blu-ray
| Company | Industry | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sony / Sony Pictures | Audio & Video Equipment | $71 bil |
| Dell | Computer Hardware | $47 bil |
| Hitachi | Electronic Equipment | $83 bil |
| Hewlett-Packard Company | Diversified Computer Systems | $78 bil |
| Panasonic (Matsushita) | Electronics | $36 bil |
| Pioneer | Electronic Equipment | $7 bil |
| Philips | Electronic Equipment | $38 bil |
| Samsung | Electronics | $41 bil |
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM) | Move Production, Theaters | $2 bil |
| The Walt Disney Co. | Entertainment - Diversified | $30 bil |
Technical Comparison of Read-only Formats
| HD-DVD | Blu-Ray | DVD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Capacity (per layer) | 15 GB | 25 GB | 4.4 GB |
| Manufacturing Process | Existing | New | Current |
| Cover Layer | 0.6 mm | 0.1 mm | 0.6 mm |
| Approx. Transfer Rate (Mb/s) | 19 | 36 | 5 |
| Video Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 720 x 480 | |
| Video Codecs | Microsoft VC-9, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) | MPEG-2 or MPEG-1 | |
| Laser Wavelength | 405 nanometers (blue-violet) | 650 nanometers (red) | |
| Launch Date | Sept. 2005 | 2nd half 2005 | Aug. 1997 |
Conclusions
Note that the company list above is not exhaustive and is subject to change. Based on the list, Blu-Ray has slightly more companies with bigger aggregate size. There is not enough information to say if anyone is in the lead, but with major electronics and entertainment companies in each camp, there is sure to be a pitched battle.
Technically speaking, both HD-DVD and and Blu-Ray would have enough capacity to hold the same ultra-high quality movies. (With stunning 1920x1080 resolution, a lot of people will have to upgrade their TV sets too see it, even recently purchased ones.) The manufacturing process of HD-DVD requires little new investment to existing DVD processes, making the format cheaper to the consumer. Blu-Ray disks are more expensive partly due to the different cover layer depth, requiring new manufacturing processes. On the other hand, the disks holds sixty-seven percent more data.
Sources
- Sony DVD: Features
- What is DVD?
- The Battle Of The DVD, Forbes.com Infoimaging, Penelope Patsuris, 12.09.04, 6:50 PM ET
- Sony selects Blu-ray for PlayStation 3
- Forbes.com, MSN MoneyCentral, Yahoo! Finance
- DVD-Forum
- Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA)
- DVD Frequently Asked Questions
- The latest on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray
- HD-DVD: One Format Only Campaign
Disclaimer: This content is provided as-is. The information may be incorrect.