Blu Ray Won the Format War vs HD DVD
For a while it looked like a bitter stand off in the Blu Ray vs HD DVD war, and one that could have spanned several years, when Microsoft Corp suggested they would consider putting Blu Ray technology in their Xbox 360’s. However, if you own a PlayStation3, then you’re no stranger to Blu Ray player technology. Disney and Warner Brothers signed exclusive deals with Sony’s Blu Ray Disc Association. Netflix and Best Buy said they would support only Blu Ray and even Walmart agreed to carry only Blu Ray discs. Toshiba finally conceded and now buyers are wondering, “Well, what’s the difference?”
The Blu Ray vs HD DVD format war finally ended when the entertainment giants changed sides and Toshiba announced that it would no longer be manufacturing the HD DVD player. Some buyers are left wondering: Is it really worth it?
First of all, when looking at the Blu Ray vs HD DVD specifics, you’ll notice that Blu Ray discs have far superior storage space. Traditionally, DVDs were first made to hold 4.7 GB of material on a single-layer, and later, the double layer boosted storage capacity up to 8.5 Gigs. HD DVD promised to more than triple that, delivering 15-30 GBs.
Blu Ray DVDs, however, can hold an astounding 25-50 GBs of data, meaning that they use more advanced coding to include more audio tracks and more stunning visual information, as well as adding more bonus features. You will notice the high definition of a HD DVD or Blu Ray disc at once. Regular DVDs supported a resolution of 720×480 pixels, while HDTV offers 1920×1080 pixels.
You may be wondering how this storage technology came about. Truth be told, the actual differences in manufacturing Blu Ray vs HD DVD discs are minimal. While standard DVDs used red lasers to burn the information onto the discs, both HD DVD and Blu Ray discs use a high-powered, short-wavelength, blue-purple laser to burn high-density information, thus assuring better quality.
The victorious Blu Ray players are currently retailing at over $499, with $399 PlayStation3s being the cheapest way to get the BR technology. There is one other relatively inexpensive option for buyers: you can get the Denon DVD-1730 up-converting DVD player that is compatible with Blu Ray discs for less than $300.
Blu Ray players 2.0 will have more memory, moving from 256 MB to 1 GB, will include an ethernet port for connection to the internet and will offer online content capacity, also known as “BD-Live.” Therefore, holding off will give consumers more advantages than just a lower price.
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