Blu-ray vs. HD DVD

Each format has its own heavyweight industry backing. HD DVD is supported by Toshiba, Intel, and Microsoft, which will offer an add-on HD DVD player to its Xbox 360 game console this fall. Blu-ray is supported by Samsung, Pioneer, and Sony, which will build a Blu-ray drive directly into its upcoming PlayStation 3 game system.

The closest analogy is the VHS versus Betamax contest of the early 1980s, but the stakes may be higher now.

Why should you care?
The short answer is: You don't want to buy an obsolete format. The two technologies don't work together, and it is very unlikely that both formats will survive. Both kinds of players will work with "old-fashioned" DVDs, but if you want a high-definition video experience on a disc, right now you will have to choose one or the other. The next PC you buy may come with the option to include either an HD DVD drive or a Blu-ray drive. And with standalone players selling for $500 to $1,000, guessing wrong could be expensive.

What is the difference?
Blu-ray has a capacity advantage, offering 25GB of storage on a single-sided disc and 50GB on a double-sided disc. HD DVD discs hold 15GB (single sided) or 30GB (double-sided). Although this would seem to give Blu-ray a significant advantage, 15GB is enough room—just barely—to fit a high-definition movie.

HD DVD players and drives are a lot cheaper than Blu-ray devices. Blu-ray players will cost between $1,000 and $1,500 at launch. Toshiba's first HD DVD player, the HD-A1, is being sold for just $500.

HD DVDs are cheaper to make. Because Blu-ray discs use a very different technology from traditional DVDs, manufacturers will have to retool their production plants, and those costs will have to be passed on to consumers somehow.

Who is going to win?
Toshiba has officially announced on 19 February 2008 the end of HD DVD players and recorders after losing to Blu-ray Disc. The format war is finally over, Blu-ray Disc has won. Good Bye HD DVD.

Are you one of the HD DVD players and recorders victims?