Blu-ray, HD-DVD, and DVD formats compared
Blu-ray and HD-DVD are rival incompatible formats, a situation that
recalls the Beta vs. VHS battle that stifled the early growth of the
VCR and home video market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite an
attempt to unify the two standards in 2005, the corporate godfathers of
the two formats–Sony for Blu-ray and Toshiba for HD-DVD–failed to
come to an agreement.
What that means to you is that no Blu-ray player will be able
to play HD-DVD discs, and no HD-DVD player can play Blu-ray discs. If a
movie comes out in one format, there’s no guarantee that it will be
available in the other. Certain studios could release movies in both
formats, but you’ll still have to be careful not to buy the wrong
version of the movie. Adding to the frustration is the fact that the
capabilities and features of the two formats are far more similar than
they are different–as shown by the chart below.
| Feature | DVD | HD-DVD | Blu-ray |
| Maximum native resolutions supported via HDMI | EDTV (480p) | HDTV (720p, 1080i) | HDTV (720p, 1080i, 1080p) |
| Maximum image-constrained native resolutions supported via component-video | EDTV (480p) | EDTV+ (960 x 540) | EDTV+ (960 x 540) |
| Disc capacity | 4.7GB (single layer) 8.5GB (dual layer) |
15GB (single layer) 30GB (dual layer) 45GB (prototype triple layer) |
25GB (single layer) 50GB (dual layer) 100GB (prototype quad layer) |
| Video capacity (per dual-layer disc) | SD: Approximately 3 hours HD: N.A. |
SD: Approximately 24 hours HD: Approximately 8 hours |
SD: Approximately 23 hours HD: Approximately 9 hours |
| Audio soundtracks | Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES | Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES | Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES |
| Manufacturer support (home theater) | All | Toshiba, LG, Thomson/RCA | Hitachi, Mitsubishi, LG, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, Thomson/RCA |
| Manufacturer support (PC storage) | All | Microsoft, Intel, HP, NEC, Toshiba | Apple, Dell, Benq, HP, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony, TDK |
| Studio support | All | Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, Warner, the Weinstein Company | Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Paramount, Warner, Lions Gate |
| Compatible video game consoles | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Revolution | Xbox 360 (via forthcoming external HD-DVD accessory, sold separately) | PlayStation 3 |
| Player prices | US$99 and less | US$499 and more | US$999 and more |
| Movie prices | US$7 and more (retail) | US$29 to US$40 (retail) | US$18 to US$24 (wholesale) |
| Number of titles available by the end of 2006 | 50,000-plus | Dozens to hundreds | Dozens to hundreds |
| Players are backward compatible with existing DVD videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Settop recorders available now | Yes | No | No |
| Can record high-definition at full resolution (eventually) | No | Yes | Yes |
| "Managed copy" option | No | Yes | Yes |
| Copy protection/digital rights management | Macrovision, CSS | AACS | AACS, BD+, BD-ROM Mark |
| Region-coded discs and players | Yes | No (currently; could change in future) | Yes |
Sources include: thedigitalbits.com, dvdfile.com, blu-ray.com, Toshiba
HD-DVD, Blu-ray Disc Association, CNET News.com, and Wikipedia
December 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
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