pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD – the war of the blue laser optical disks

Shuji Nakamura’s blue laser diode exactly fit requirements for next generation DVDs: accurate, reliable, small and affordable both for manufacturing and running costs. It was a brilliant invention, and it offered the opportunity for a single, industry wide high-definition optical storage standard to be agreed upon by the turn of the new millennium.

Of course, that is not what happened. Instead, chasing a supposed multi-billion dollar prize, two opposing factions backed mutually incompatible blue laser optical storage solutions: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. There followed years of deadlock which, though Blu-ray finally came out on top, arguably nobody really won, least of all the consumer.

At the time specifications for the technologies were first disclosed, a comparison with the current DVD format looked as follows:

Format Current generation Next generation
DVD playback 4.7GB (single-layer disc);

650nm red laser;

MPEG-2 video compression.

Blu-ray disc;

27GB (single-layer disc);

up to 50GB (dual-layer disc);

405nm blue-violet laser;

MPEG-2 video;

incompatible with DVD format.

DVD recordable 4.7GB (single-layer disc);

DVD-R (write-once);

DVD-RAM (rewritable);

DVD-RW (rewritable);

DVD+RW (rewritable);

650nm red laser;

MPEG-2 video compression.

HD-DVD disc;

9GB (dual layer disc);

405nm blue-violet laser;

MPEG-4 or improved MPEG-2

with extensive pre- and post-processing;

compatible with DVD format.

Initial indications were that DVD Forum member Warner Bros. and other movie content production companies were firmly in the HD-DVD camp, since it would allow Hollywood studios to repurpose their content one more time without having first to incur high investment costs in transitioning to brand-new replication equipment. In effect, the similarity between HD-DVD and the then current DVD manufacturing processes made it much less expensive to adapt production lines for producing HD-DVDs than it would be to adapt for BD production.

This initial support from Hollywood, likely the quickest to market vendors of the new technology, gave considerable weight to the HD-DVD argument, and quite possibly proved the single most significant factor in precipitating the debacle that followed. Despite most technology manufacturers support for Blu-ray from the off, the DVD Forum could easily justify its decision to support HD-DVD technology on the grounds of production costs alone.

Furthermore, as late as 2005 Intel and Microsoft both announced their backing for HD-DVD, as several of their developments (including Microsoft’s HDi technology) were vested in HD-DVD’s future. Horns seemed locked immovably, despite long and vigorous negotiations.

Some hopefuls suggested that it might be possible for the HD-DVD and BD technologies to co-exist. HD-DVD, they suggested, could be positioned as a playback format for pre-recorded HD-DVD movies. BD, on the other hand, could provide a recording format for real-time interlaced TV programs, including HDTV programming. Others tried to combine the technologies. LG and Samsung released dual HD-DVD/BD drives. Some computer manufacturers, including HP and Acer, sold PCs with combination HD-DVD/BD drives.

These experiments, however, were failures. Progress on a compromise seemed so doomed to failure that sabotage rumours arose. Some said the war was being deliberately fostered by companies who would benefit from the failure of high definition optical disk technology. For instance, companies serving high definition content online, or over airwaves, with hard disk high definition content storage, would certainly benefit if there was no alternative disk medium. Of course, all such intimations were strongly denied.

Possibly, and perhaps surprisingly, the final death blow for HD-DVD came from the gaming industry. As next-generation consoles came through, anticipation was not only focussed on graphical and processing advancements, but on the optical drive technology to be employed. For their part, Microsoft created a HD-DVD player as an add-on for the X-Box console, but Sony’s PS3 shipped Blu-ray ready.

It was a smart move by Sony. Sales of the PS3 far outstripped the X-Box in the influential Japanese market, and uptake of Microsoft’s add-on HD-DVD player, or indeed any HD-DVD player, was poor in comparison. It was clear; Blu-ray had finally outflanked its opponent.

By the end of 2005 the BD format appeared to have a lead over its rival. By then, most major movie studios had come over to the Blu-ray camp, and committed to releasing films in the format by the following year. There were a number of skirmishes still to play out. Notably, HD-DVD players were first released by Sony in January 2006, a few months ahead of Blu-ray, which they hoped was a major coup. It didn’t prove to be any great advantage, though, as consumer take-up was very slow. Also, new triple layer HD-DVD specifications created ripples as late as September 2007, bring the HD-DVD’s capacity up to 51GB.

But it was too late: HD-DVD had lost. The power and influence of the DVD Forum waned, membership numbers falling. At time of writing, with considerable irony the DVD Forum’s FAQ for HD-DVD technology still reads: Coming soon!

The years 2002 to 2008 saw an ugly and damaging battle between rival formats echoing the VCR VHS/Betamax format war which raged in the decade ending in the late 1980s. However, unlike the prevailing opinion of the VCR war’s outcome, perhaps this time the better option won through. Blu-ray’s advantages over HD-DVD included better interactivity, better Internet connectivity, and far larger storage capacity.

But it was a fight to the bitter death. Blu-ray only walked away victorious when Toshiba finally announced the discontinuation of HD-DVD technology in the autumn of 2008.

  • The blue laser diode in optical disk drive technology
  • DVD Forum and the Blu-ray Disk Association (BDA)
  • Blu-ray vs HD-DVD – the war of the blue laser optical disks
  • Blu-ray Region Codes
  • Blu-Ray – the Hi-Def Blue Laser Disk Technology
  • HD-DVD (High Definition Digital Versatile Disk) – blue laser optical disk
  • Blu-ray Disks (BD) – blue laser optical disk technology
  • Blu-ray region codes – map and explanation

Filed Under: Blu-ray Tagged With: blu-ray, blue laser war, compatibility, HD-DVD

Latest Articles

How To Do a Clean Installation of Win98 – Phase 5: Setting Up Hardware and Finalising

Windows 98 Setup now commences its fifth and final phase. During this phase, Setup configures the following: Control Panel Programs on the Start menu Windows Help MS-DOS program settings Tuning Up Application Start Time zone System Configuration When Setup finishes setting up … [Read More...]

What Is The System Bus?

A modern-day system can be viewed as comprising just two classes of bus: a System Bus, connecting the CPU to main memory and Level 2 cache, and a number of I/O Busses, connecting various peripheral devices to the CPU - the latter being connected to the system bus via a bridge, implemented in … [Read More...]

Migration Software From Windows XP To 7

Migration Software From Windows XP To 7 In this particular article, we will discuss three applications that enable the user to smoothly migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7. Before transferring or migrating, always make sure that the software that is being transferred is compatible with the new … [Read More...]

AI-Driven Software Improves Trading Strategies for Investors

Artificial intelligence technology is changing the state of modern finance. A growing number of investors are utilizing AI to improve the … [Read More...]

What You Need to Know When Choosing the Best VPN for an iPhones

Today millions of people have smartphones; most use them to access the Internet. Research shows that more than 50% of Internet users access it with … [Read More...]

Must-Have Software and Apps Every Remote Worker Should Have on Their PC in 2023?

In the last few years, the future of work has changed permanently. In a survey conducted near the end of 2020, 72% of people were fully remote, with … [Read More...]

Cloud Technology Changes the Calculus of Risk Management in a Global Economy

Cloud technology has changed the state of the global economy in previously unimaginable ways. Ninety-four percent of enterprises utilize some form of … [Read More...]

Risk Management Considerations in an Artificial Intelligence Environment

Risk management is about identifying, assessing, evaluating, and prioritizing risk. Although risk management has been practiced in some ways since … [Read More...]

New Software and GPS Tools Help Parents Monitor their Children

More parents are using technology to keep their children safe. One survey from Pew Research in 2016 showed that 30% of parents use technology to block … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

Oursurfing.com Virus Removal Guide

The Oursurfing.com browser hijacker is a virus that is promoted with other free downloads like many other malware out in the wild. It will change the … [Read More...]

FSAA Graphic Card Technology

In mid-2000, 3dfx sought to strike back at rival nVidia in the battle for supremacy in the graphics arena with its … [Read More...]

Are You Aware of the Extent of Risks Facing Your iPhone

The market for iPhones is still booming after all these years. Apple iPhones have captured the third largest share of the smartphone market. Around … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors