| Long gone are the times when all we had were | | | | can hold 25 GB of storage, while a dual-sided |
| compact discs, first for music, then for data | | | | one can store 50 GB. |
| storage and movies. The DVDs came next, | | | | |
| boasting of what seemed then as tons of data | | | | As a counterpart of the HD-DVD's iHD |
| storage. | | | | Interactive Format, Blu-ray will use the |
| | | | HDMV, as well as Java software support to |
| But as they say, times quickly change, and so | | | | implement interactive menus. |
| does the technology. Personal and commercial | | | | |
| demands for data storage -- be they for | | | | A Comparison |
| music, movies, games, or software -- are | | | | |
| outstripping the present capacities of | | | | Factors going for the HD-DVD: The DVD Forum |
| optical discs. | | | | is its big daddy. The movie industry, which |
| | | | counts among its ranks Universal Studios, |
| Fortunately, two new players in the optical | | | | Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema, and |
| storage scene have arrived -- HD-DVD and | | | | Paramount Pictures, supports the format. The |
| Blu-Ray. Both share similarities, and at the | | | | giants of the IT industry -- Toshiba, NEC, |
| same time compete against each other to | | | | Sanyo, the DVD Forum, Microsoft, and Intel -- |
| become the new standard technology for the | | | | also support the format. All HD-DVDs and |
| future. This match-up will eventually | | | | HD-DVD players are backward compatible, |
| determine the successor to the DVD. While it | | | | meaning they will still support old DVDs. It |
| might seem a boon to consumers to have two | | | | is cheaper and faster to manufacture than |
| disc types to choose from, the battle between | | | | Blu-Ray discs. |
| the two discs might be disastrous to the | | | | |
| industry. | | | | Factors going for Blu-Ray: Blu-Ray has the |
| | | | support of the world's largest electronic |
| HD-DVD | | | | companies -- Sony, HP, Dell, Pioneer, |
| | | | Philips, Panasonic, Samsung, Apple, |
| HD-DVD stands for either High Density Digital | | | | LG-Electronics, and Mitsubishi Electric. |
| Versatile Disc or High Definition Digital | | | | There are also companies from the |
| Video Disc. The HD-DVD's look is a familiar | | | | entertainment industry that support the |
| one -- it is 120 mm in diameter, the same | | | | format -- Electronic Arts, MGM, Walt Disney, |
| size as a CD and DVD. A single-sided HD-DVD | | | | and 20th Century Fox. The PlayStation 3 will |
| can hold 15 GB of storage, while a dual-sided | | | | be supporting Blu-Ray discs. Blu-Ray discs |
| one can store 30 GB. A triple-sided HD-DVD, a | | | | have faster data transfer rates than their |
| huge possibility courtesy of Toshiba, can | | | | counterparts. Blu-Ray discs have larger |
| hold 45 GB. | | | | storage capacities than their counterparts. |
| | | | |
| HD-DVDs use the iHD Interactive Format, which | | | | As you can see, each side has its advantages |
| will allow interactive content to be written | | | | and disadvantages. It's really too tough to |
| for the discs. | | | | call at this point as to who will emerge the |
| | | | winner. But one thing is certain -- the |
| Blu-Ray | | | | commercial industry disdains this battle of |
| | | | attrition, as any format war has the |
| Blu-Ray takes its name from the laser that it | | | | potential to split the market into two |
| uses -- a 405 nm wavelength blue laser, which | | | | incompatible sub-markets; these smaller |
| is also employed by the HD-DVD. A | | | | markets means that the format war kills off |
| single-sided Blu-ray disc, which shares the | | | | revenues. |
| same diameter with the HD-DVD, CD, and DVD, | | | | |