HD-DVD did it. Blue-Ray didn’t make it to the first round.
Backed by Toshiba, Microsoft, Paramount, Universal and others, the first HD DVD titles and players are already shipping while the Sony Blue Ray is delayed.
The first Toshiba players starts from $499
The discs will be in $20-$35 range. Right now there are 6 titles and counting, with 200 titles available around Xmas.
I personally preffered the HD-DVD over Blue-Ray as I had seen the Blue-Ray a more “money making” scheme for the Sony. With Blue-Ray all technology, including plants has to be replaced with new, more expensive Sony-licensed machines since the BR technology is incompatible with current DVD format. This would of course also affect the price of players and discs as many new components needs to be made. And as with all brand new technologies, the first years are bug hunting - remember the DVD players 10 years ago.
The HD-DVD format on other hand offers far more manufacturing compatibility as it is based on already proven DVD technology. A current DVD plants can be easily upgraded to produce HD-DVD. Single layer of HD-DVD disc has capacity 15GB, dual layer 30 GB.
A great bonus of the HD DVD is its backward compatibility “twin-format”. A disc can be made to use single side with dual layer where one layer is the standard 4.7 DVD format and the second layer is the 15GB HD-DVD. Such disc will play on both new HD-DVD and also the old DVD players.
So what we will see on HD-DVD this year? Mostly re-runs of previous movies - a great way for studios to sell us the very same movies twice. This would also means the studios will probably put on backburner the hunt for DVD backup software and sharing services, as they have a new purpose in life and will be all busy counting money from the HD stuff that cannot be copied for at least few years (no HD-DVD-R yet, no 15GB file sharing).
So I say, bring me the HD-DVD!
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Thanks for this News!
And the logical question, will DLP2 able to create more than just Double-Layer DVDs?
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Sorry, understand, no HD-DVD-R.
I wish you create a “DVD backup software”, so that you could count money too
May 8th, 2006 at 4:44 am
Let’s hope that the restrictions placed on HD & BR don’t kill off creative work and creative tools such as DVD-Lab.
July 18th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
“remember the DVD players 10 years ago,” from a hands-on perspective and as someone within the A/V profession we are still experiencing customer comeback due to DvD’s produced on latest high-end systems, not playing on new/recently sold players(UK)…it seems only pressed DvD’s have a higher playable functionality… neither can the statement be said to be true, “HD-DVD format on other hand offers far more manufacturing compatibility as it is based on already proven DVD technology,” for current DvD technolgy is still flawed, with manufacturers fitting different types/size of laser heads, overheating issues and dye-media issues/incompatability. What is certain is that HD has many different compression types/codec formats and no doubt, differing components, from different manufacturing processes, using different Audio/video chips, each trying to cut costs, to increase their profit margins, hence the incompatability, of leaving it to market forces…. and by the way HD can already be copied according to an article related to InterVideo’s WinDVD and the PrintScreen Button
August 29th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Hello, interesting site, nice work and thank you for your service!
phentermine discount
phentermine cheap