The technology is brand new, even if the economics driving their sales and selection are strikingly familiar. The so-called "format war" between High Definition DVD (HD DVD) and Blu-Ray players for market dominance harkens many analysts and home video collectors back to the 1980s, when VHS and Betamax vied for ultimate consumer loyalty. In time, prices and entertainment options pushed VHS to dominate, driving the Betamax format into obsolescence and obscurity. Now that same choice and fear of getting stuck with obsolete or market forsaken technology face modern families confused about which player represents the more sensible investment. However, certain emerging trends indicate the Blu-ray format may have turned the corner on its competitor.
Blu-ray and HD DVD use similar lasers to read information.
For as much as they're different in format and market support, HD DVD and Blu-Ray players are surprisingly simple in one basic functioning principle. Both use a blue laser with a much shorter wavelength than the traditional red-hued laser found on standard DVD players. This shorter-wavelength beam allows the players to interpret and understand many more times the amount of information stored on a disc. For example, the typical Blu-ray disc has roughly five times the storage capacity as a standard DVD player, while HD DVD has storage space three times that of standard DVD. That extra storage capacity is used to compile and render more detailed video images and more intricate and robust audio – there's enough capacity, in fact, to keep pace with High Definition Television's (HDTV) massive data requirements.
From that one common feature, the two formats diverged.
Blu-ray and HD DVD use differing formats to process the video and sound information recorded on the laser disc. The reasons for the differences are embedded deep with the formats' research and development over the past ten years. The Blu-ray format and player was designed by a consortium of entertainment companies known as the Blue-ray Disc Corporation. HD DVD was developed through an agreement with the Toshiba and Microsoft corporations, after Microsoft head Bill Gates determined Blu-Ray's Java-based software engine would not work as well as with personal computers as Microsoft's own technology.
Repeated attempts at negotiating a compromise between the BDA and the DVD Forum (The Toshiba-led consortium promoting HD DVD format) failed. By the middle of 2006, both formats had entered the marketplace, with a steady stream of movie titles becoming available for each format in the following months. Consumer experts began warning a format war could prove long and costly to manufacturers and customers alike. They were right.
Public reception of both formats was mixed, uncertain.
Far from a warm welcome, both Blu-Ray and HD DVD players and titles received a mixed reception from the DVD marketplace. Some statistics show only 750,000 of each player were sold in the United States in 2007.
Blu-Ray enjoyed a noteworthy advantage in that Sony's new Playstation 3 gaming console includes Blu-ray player capability. In fact, some statistics show that 74 percent of all Blu-ray players sold last year came bundled inside the Playstation 3. As a result, Blu-ray disc sales continue to outsell HD DVD discs by a sizeable margin. Not to be outdone, Microsoft has released an upgrade kit for its Xbox 360 gaming platform to play HD DVDs. Currently only Toshiba markets stand-alone HD DVD players. Blu-Ray enjoys more widespread support from Sony, Panasonic, Dell, LG Electronics, and several others.
During the ongoing struggle, some market analysts questioned the need for either format, let alone two separate yet ostensibly similar technologies that seemingly fueled consumer confusion. Some commentators have even questioned the necessity of high definition home video until such time as High Definition Television (HDTV) more firmly establishes itself in the American home. They point to sluggish sales of either player as proof of the public's disinterest in any form of high definition home video.
In Part Two we'll look at shopping tips for buying the best player and also how the major film studios and rental companies are meeting the demand for HD DVD and Blu-ray entertainment. We'll also show how one format is quickly pulling ahead of the other.
Michael Kabel is senior staff writer for http://www.cornerstorkbabygifts.com. Stop by for parenting and baby resources at cornerstork.
No comments:
Post a Comment