CD and DVD as data storage and delivery media, lasted successfully for decades and seems to be alive and kicking .As we speak, a new format war has begun. This time over the future of in-home media. On one side is HD-DVD, a format created by Toshiba and NEC; on the other side is Blu-Ray, created by Sony, Matsushita, and Philips. In a few years, blue laser drives will take over the role of DVD drives. The problem is that there are two competing technologies that will use blue lasers: HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Only one technology will eventually become dominant in the data storage market
What are HD DVD and Blu-Ray Disc?
Today's DVDs can hold 4.7GB of information, but many want a higher-capacity successor to accommodate the larger data demands of high-quality video. HD DVD and Blu-ray both use blue lasers to read and write data. this is because blue has a shorter wavelength than the red used in DVD and CD lasers, information can be packed more densely on a disc and a single disc can hold more.
The potential capacity of Blu-Ray discs cannot be expressed in words. A single-layer disc can hold between 23 and 27 gigabytes of data, enough for four hours of high-definition video; a dual-layer disc can hold between 46 and 54GB, easily enough for eight full hours of high-definition programming. Furthermore, since the layers on a Blu-Ray disc are so thin, there is potential for multi-layer discs with up to eight layers holding upwards of 200GB.
HD-DVD discs, promise a single-layer capacity of 15 gigabytes, or over three times that of single-layer DVDs. This means that discs can have information more tightly packed on the disc, enabling far greater storage capacity on the same size disc. Dual-layer discs are capable of holding 30GB, and Toshiba has announced a prototype three-layer disc with a capacity of 45GB. These discs are capable of holding between two and five hours of high-definition video with audio track.
COMPARISON BETWEEN HD-DVD AND BLU-RAY DISC:
The picture quality on both versions is 100% identical. They're using the same compression codec. Probably the exact same files on both discs.
The sound is better on the HD-DVD. It comes with Dolby TruHD sound, which is completely uncompressed audio. The Blu-Ray version has standard Dolby Digital sound.Also, the HD-DVD (And most WB HD-DVD's these days) comes with the regular DVD version of the movie on the other side of the disc. The Blu-Ray version doesn't.
The main difference between the both is the differing track pitch of the Blu-ray disc makes its pickup apertures differ, however—0.65 for HD DVD vs. 0.85 for Blu-ray—thus also making the two pickups
Why Blu-Ray will be more expensive initially Blu-ray discs can hold more data than HD-DVD because the track on which the data is written is tighter, requiring the data layer of the disc to be closer to the surface. The data layer on a Blu-ray disc is 0.1mm from the surface, compared with 0.6mm for HD-DVD and traditional DVDs. It is because of this difference in disc thickness that Blu-ray will initially be more expensive. HD-DVDs can be produced by the same facilities as traditional DVDs with very little modification. Blu-Ray, on the other hand, will initially require expensive retooling or replacement of these production facilities.
THE FORMAT WAR
The situation as it stands today is complicated. On one hand we have the HD-DVD format, which holds less data, but is cheaper to produce. On the other hand is Blu-Ray, with the potential for exponentially more capacity and durability, but with a significant manufacturer cost increase. Both players will offer features to ease the transition to HD, such as backwards-compatibility with standard CD and DVD media.
Well, as far as HD DVD vs. Blu-ray goes, it looks like we've pretty much passed the point of no return now; with each passing day it seems less and less likely that a compromise will be reached on a next-generation format.
SOLUTIONS:
1.Adopt HD-DVD. The initial costs of HD-DVD are lower than Blu-Ray since the technology is not radically different from current DVD technology.
2.Adpot Blu-Ray. The initial cost of Blu-Ray is higher than that of HD-DVD, but Blu-ray offers higher storage capacity and higher data-transfer rates. These properties make it more likely that Blu-ray will eventually be the prevailing standard for optical disc storage.
CONCLUSION:
No one knows what the outcome of this format war will be – it all depends on which format consumers can get more cheaply, more quickly, with more movies available for it. Blu-Ray is technologically superior, true,but it is not always true that technologically superior products always win.Hence it is the survival of the fittest,which ever product attracts people will survive.
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