Blu-Ray VS. HD-DVD

            Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are the new technologies that were developed to be the successor of the DVD format that we have all used and are familiar with. The two formats are competing to become the dominant technology and allow the other to die off just like VHS did to Betamax in the late 70’ into the 80’s. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD offer many similarities, and a few differences that will turn into the deciding factors on which one wins out over the other.

               Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD use a different type of laser to read from the disk surface than the current DVD disk. They use what is known as a blue-purple laser. The DVD format uses a red laser, which has a longer wavelength. The benefit of the blue-purple laser’s shorter wavelength is that it allows the data on the disk’s surface to be recorded at a higher density. This allows more data to be stored on a disk that has the same physical size. This was a necessary step to take to keep up with the demands of high definition (HD) content to display on the new HDTVs. A movie that is recorded in HD requires about 75% more space to store it on a disk. This surpassed the capacity of the DVD disk.

            Speed of the two formats is virtually identical. You receive no benefits in read or access time from one format to the other. Both formats are also the same physical size as the current DVD format. These factors play into the confusion that a lot of people have when deciding which format to purchase. There are, however, a few key differences that most people are not aware of yet. As these differences become widely known, we will see which format is going to become the more dominant.

            The biggest difference is the storage capacity. Blu-Ray disks hold 25GB on a single layer, and 54GB on a dual layer disk. HD-DVD has a significantly lower capacity of 15GB for a single layer and 30GB for a dual layer. This may well be the difference that tips the scale in favor of Blu-Ray. HD-DVD wins over Blu-Ray in the cost column. Manufacturing costs for HD-DVD disks are less than Blu-Ray, this transforms into a lower movie cost at the store for the consumer. Blu-Ray disks have a very scratch resistant surface due to the manufacturing technique, while HD-DVD has the same easy to scratch surface of the original DVD disk.

            The final major difference between the two disks is that HD-DVD is region free. Region numbers are assigned to different parts of the world to control the release dates for movies in those regions. This means that when you buy a DVD or Blu-Ray player in the United States (region 1), you can not play a disk that was created for release in Japan (region 2). There are 9 regions all together, and you can only play disks from the region that matches your player. HD-DVD does not have this limitation so for example, you can play a movie on your home HD-DVD player that you purchased when on vacation in Europe. This also allows for friends or relatives that live all over the world to send you HD-DVD disks that they bought or created on their computers. There are PROs and CONs for each new format which makes it still too early to see any clear winner.

            If you have any questions for comments regarding this article please contact us at Idea Solutions: 1-888-535-4332

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