Blu-Ray Disc (BD) and HD (high-definition) DVD are the next-generation formats in optimal disc technology. While they share many similarities, they have a number of significant differences that will be discussed below. First, here is a brief introduction to these new technologies:

Blu-ray was developed by a group of global manufacturers in the consumer electronics, media and personal computing industries known as the Blu-ray Disc Association or BDA. Some of the names associated with BDA include Sony, Apple, Philips, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sharp. On the other hand, HD DVD, Blu-ray’s competitor, was developed by Toshiba with the support of NEC.

The Blu-ray and HD DVD formats allow users to play high-definition (HD) video as well as record and re-write it. They feature large storage capacity three to five times greater that of regular DVDs. In addition, they make use of more advanced codecs for superior definition.

Both formats are backwards compatible, which means they can play existing CDs and DVDs so the DVD format will not really become obsolete in the near future however the two formats are not compatible with each other so you cannot play HD DVD discs on Blu-ray players and vice versa.

Blu-ray got its name from the blue-violet laser that the technology uses to write and read data, unlike the red laser that DVDs and DVD rewritable media use. HD DVD also makes use of this blue laser, which is more precise than the red laser because its wavelength is shorter. The big deal about this is it enables the format to take up less space to store much more data. In fact, Blu-ray and HD DVD discs can store an entire high definition movie. Consumers can also use these blue-laser discs to record 120 minutes of video also in high definition.

Differences

Blu-ray discs can hold up to 25 GB (single-layer) and 50 GB (dual-layer) while HD DVD can store 15GB (single-layer) and 30GB (dual-layer). Blu-ray also has faster video and audio data transfer rate at 54Mbps versus HD DVD’s 36.55Mbps. Blu-ray has also gained support from more consumer electronics and PC manufacturers as well as entertainment studios than HD DVD.

Some of Blu-ray’s supporters aside from the companies mentioned above are Hitachi, LG, and Panasonic, Phillips, MGM, Walt Disney, Miramax, Twentieth Century Fox and others. HD DVD’s supporters, aside from NEC, include Onkyo, Sanyo, Dreamworks, New Line, Universal Pictures and Microsoft. One big win for the HD DVD is the support of Paramount, the movie studio with the leading market share and highest gross earnings in the US.

Nevertheless, Blu-ray currently has a wider title selection than HD-DVD but this may change in the future. HD-DVD players, however, has the advantage of price. You can find a standalone HD DVD player for more or less $200 but it would be difficult to find a Blu-ray player that can compete with that price. This is actually a source of frustration to some because while there are more Blu-ray discs to play, the affordable players are HD DVDs.

At present, there is still a lot of confusion in the market about which format is better and will truly succeed the DVD format so tech experts are advising consumers to consider holding off on their purchase and go for a quality DVD player for now. Why? First, there is a possibility that the technology you buy today, whether Blu-ray or HD DVD, will be obsolete later because of the uncertainty in the market. Plus, the price of these technologies will certainly decline in a year’s time.

If you would still like to join in on the high definition action, just be sure to do your own research about these formats and understand their differences so you can make an informed decision.