After all, nobody wants to spend a bomb on a piece of kit that may turn out to be obsolete in a year or two's time - just ask anyone with a dusty old Betamax still lurking in the garage.
What are Blu-ray / HD DVD players?
The two pretenders vying for the latest home entertainment crown are similar in many ways - both utilise blue laser technology and both provide comparable levels of sound and image quality. These formats use densely-layered discs that can be read by a thinner laser than standard DVDs allowing them to store far more data.
This means that (unlike DVDs) they have the capacity required for high-definition (HD) movies which the industry would like us to watch on the HD-ready TVs that they are currently spending such huge sums of money persuading us all to buy.
However, the catch – and it's a serious one – is that Blu-ray and HD DVD are incompatible formats. In all likelihood, one will sooner or later become dominant, while the other will go the way of mini discs, zip drives and a host of other dead-end technologies. But which to choose?
Blu-ray: factors to consider:
• Blu-ray (potentially) offers far higher disc capacities than HD DVD with up to 200GB theoretically possible. However, standard dual layer discs will hold about 50GB (25Gb per side)
• The much-anticipated PS3, due to arrive later this year, will feature an integrated Blu-ray disc drive and companies such as EA and Vivendi have signed up to release their titles in the format.
• Blu-ray has widespread film studio support with Sony, Paramount, Warner, Fox, MGM and Buena Vista Home Entertainment all readying Blu-ray titles for launch in Europe.
• Industry backing for Blu-ray is strong, with over 100 technology companies and manufacturers signed up - more choice of players will drive down prices.
• Contrary to widespread belief, Blu-ray players will, like HD DVD players, be backward compatible with DVDs, so you'll still be able to watch all your old DVDs.
HD DVD: factors to consider:
• Microsoft have stated that the Xbox360 will soon come with the option to add on a peripheral HD DVD drive which looks set to be priced at a very competitive 200 quid.
• HD DVD players are, for the time being, significantly more affordable than their Blu-ray counterparts. Toshiba have just launched the first stand-alone player (the HD-E1) and you can pick one up for around £400, compared to about £1000 for Samsung's BDP1000 Blu-ray machine.
• HD DVD discs are not currently region-coded so you can play discs originating from anywhere in a dedicated player. However, this may well change and would only require a firmware update. Blu-ray on the other hand, is split into 3 regions in the same way as regular DVD (Region A: North and South America, Region B: Europe & Africa, Region C: China, Russia and other countries.) so you won't be able to play movies purchased in other parts of the world.
• It is possible to make reversible discs using the HD DVD manufacturing process, so film studios could potentially sell a movie with the standard DVD version on one side and the HD DVD version on the other.
• HD DVD uses the same disc structure as standard DVD so manufacturers need only make minor changes to their production lines. The increased costs associated with setting up new production processes for Blu-ray may affect the profitability of the format.
So which is the one to buy?
With the first generation players of both formats only just hitting high streets in the UK, it's too early to call. Blu-ray currently has the edge with film studio support and (ultimately) greater disc capacity, but the first stand-alone players are looking very pricey indeed against their HD DVD counterparts. One thing is certain - the future for both formats hinges on sales of the consoles and computers that support them and only time will tell which will prove the most successful.
Published on 3rd January 2007
