Differences Between Blu-ray and HD DVD
There are many similarities between Blu-ray and HD DVD. Sadly for the consumer, the electronic makers chose not to unify the standards of Blu-ray and HD DVD, so the battle began. There were flashbacks of VHS vs. Beta as Blu-ray vs. HD DVD played out. The winner was, of course, Blu-ray. These are some of the differences between the two:
Disc capacity- How much data can be stored
- Blu-ray- 25GB (single layer), 50GB (dual layer), 100GB (prototype quad layer)
- HD DVD- 15GB (single layer), 30GB (dual layer), 51GB (prototype triple layer)
Video capacity- How many hours can be played
- Blu-ray- SD: approximately 23 hours and HD: 8.5 or 5.6 hours, depending on encoding method
- HD DVD- SD: approximately 13 hours and HD: 5.1 or 3.3 hours, depending on encoding method
Manufacturer support- Which home theatre systems
- Blu-ray- Hitachi, Mitsubishi, LG, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, Thomson/RCA
- HD DVD- Toshiba, LG, Thomson/RCA, Onkyo, Samsung
Manufacturer support- Which PC storage type
- Blu-ray- Apple, Dell, BenQ, HP, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony, TDK
- HD DVD- Microsoft, Intel, HP, NEC, Toshiba
Studio support- Which format the movies will be released in
- Blu-ray- Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Warner, Lions Gate, Warner (as of May 2008)
- HD DVD- Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, the Weinstein Company, DreamWorks Animation
Compatible video game consoles
- Blu-ray- PlayStation 3
- HD DVD- Xbox 360 (via external HD DVD accessory, sold separately)
Number of titles available- Released titles and titles scheduled to be released
- Blu-ray- 2007 there were about 360 and by mid 2008 releases are increasing steadily with a record jump in June due to Warner Brothers releasing their movies in Blu-ray beginning in May 2008
- HD DVD- 2007 there were about 330. With Blu-ray winning the format wars, there is a decreasing amount in 2008.
Both have superior video and audio, but it was differences like the amount of data that can be stored which made Blu-ray the format of choice.
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