The new format DVD battle continues with news that Disney have just aligned themselves with Sony’s Blu-Ray format. The Guardian states that Disney have claimed the following reasons:
…because Blu-ray offers higher quality and was backed by most consumer electronics manufacturers.
Interestingly the main reason for the move last week for three studios going with HD DVD was:
…because they say it offers better anti-piracy guarantees.
The statement from Disney talks of the continuing format war:
The reality is that this format war is not going to be won by content alone but in combination with the support from the DVD player manufacturers, who by sheer number vastly support the Blu-ray format,” said Bob Chapek, president of Disney home video division Buena Vista Home Entertainment, to the Hollywood Reporter.
There are still a few studios to make a choice of which way they will go, despite the claim of the Guardian that there is only one major player left to do so. Previously the main reason for these studios holding back was to get the features into the technology that they wanted. With HD DVD being closed and ready to produce, and Blu-ray still allowing development, I think it’s pretty clear where their options would lie.
However, what concerns me is a repeat of the VHS-Betamax battle, where the poorer quality format won the race for the home market. I so hope that the higher quality wins. Mind you, with the requirement to upgrade a major part of my home cinema system, I’m not so sure how quickly the uptake will be.
Hey, why didn’t my last comment make it on to this thread? I had included a link comparing rear projection technologies for David.
Vic
I’d offer advice but I’ve limited knowledge of the market outside UK.
Back on the DVD format battle, quick update. Sony approached Toshiba with a plan to bring the two formats together and Toshiba rejected it.
Blu-Ray will be in PS3 and it’s looking more and more likely that HD DVD will be taken on by XBox 2. This looks set to drive the battle well before the home cinema market.
It’s rear projection.
Here’s a link comparing the different technologies.
Vic
Is that rear projection, or do I need a projector on the wall?
David,
If I were you I’d be looking at DLP, specifically the HD2+ chip. I’ve done some research and I’d select that over LCD. Plasma has serious picture fade issues that I’ve learned about and I wouldn’t go that route.
Vic
After this post was made, I spent a few hours in Electric shops looking at grabbing myself a home cinema system. I found myself locked in a world of confusing pixels, plasmas etc etc. So I need some help. Basically what is the best Plasma vs LCD vs rear projection?
The muppet in Dixons told me LCD was the best and Plasmas need refilling. I have since investigated and have found out that Plasmas cannot be refilled and have an approx life of between 12-17 years. Now Plasmas are appealing because they are a lot bigger, but I have been told LCD’s have a better picture quality. But a 40″ Plasma can be bought for around ¬£1500.00 where as a 32″ LCD is the same price! PLEASE HELP, what is the best?
When I was finishing my computer science degree, I saw several articles showing the constructs of a CD/DVD like disc that could store over 250GB of data.
This technology will be rolled out to consumers as it is developed to perpetually fill the coffers of corporations. Can you imagine an entire TV series on half a dozen discs? Or a movie studio releasing its catalog on a few discs? It’ll happen eventually. (I just got this key-chain USB flash drive that stores 1GB. Pretty amazing stuff.)
As for upgrading, I would not buy any new system that wouldn’t be able to play my current DVD library. It sounds like producers of both technologies have heard this warning by consumers. (Let‚Äôs hope.)
Bradley
(PS: I’m new to this site. Wanted to say that it’s great!)
Cheers Vic. I’ve looked through some of the press material from Sony on the Blu-Ray equipment, and the reports are good.
Cost: Five times the storage for the same production costs = should be the same price as current DVD’s, although let’s be fair, the more content they put in the more cost you are likely to have. So with five times the amount of content, you might be paying more.
Compatibility: Sony say that the blue laser cannot read tracks created with a red laser – that means no compatibility. However, they do go on to say that this does not mean you can’t have a red and blue laser in one system, and this has been successfully trialed and there are already hardware manufacturers with this equipment. That means, if the manufacturer will make it, you will get backwards compatibility. I think from these comments it’s fair to say they will make it so.
Interestingly this technology (Blu-Ray anyway) has been with Sony since the middle of 2003.
Storage: Standard DVD holds 4.7Gb on a single layer, 8.5Gb on a dual. With a Blu-Ray you are looking at 25Gb on a single layer and 50Gb on a dual layer!
Richard,
From what I’ve read, the new players will play existing DVDs.
I guess they’re not that stupid. :-/
Vic
Same here, I’ll keep the old system if there’s not backwards compatibility. I’ll try and find out more information for you.
David, I’m annoyed too, but I think what you see in between my lines is an age old resignation to the change.
I’m torn. I’d love to see even higher quality images (although on my HD set I can’t imagine DVD looking much better than it does already), but I’ve invested in well over 100 DVDs…
I’m not going to be replacing titles I already own. It’s kind of annoying actually… the DVD format has only really been out there for about 5 years as a consumer product, and now a new format is coming out. It’ll be at least 3 or 4 years before there is a decent amount of titles to choose from, so do I stop buying DVDs now and wait for any new titles to come out in the HD format?
Sigh.
Vic
But what happens to the old discs? I will still own my old DVD player I know, but if it goes wrong, will I still be able to get a replacement? (saying that I own three DVD players so one is bound to work). Many stores are stopping stocking VCR’s now, will that be what happens to DVD format of today? Is there a time span for this change over? Could I ask any more questions? They probably completed this technology years ago, but thought “nah we will release the lesser version, sell millions and millions of players and discs. Then we will release the new format and re-sell them all over again”. Why do I seem to be the only one annoyed with this?
Technology?! I love it!! ;)
I agree though, without a high end system with more cost consumers will not see the benefit of the new technology in quality terms.
What they will see is the benefit in terms of storage space, and this will also explain the backwards compatibility somewhat.
In my understanding, and very laymans terms, the new technology uses Blue lasers which are much smaller and narrower than the Red lasers in use today. (Why I’ve capitalised the colour I have no idea. Put it down to the huge hangover) So it means that the “tracks” of information are much narrower, so that you can put more information on a single disc. Backwards compatibility would mean placing both laser systems in one unit.
I will most likely upgrade in my system. I’ve still got a CRT TV, and it’s wonderful. I’m not yet convinced of the quality of Plasma or LCD in comparison, so I’m holding out and a HD set would be perfect for me, so it makes sense to buy the new technology for my Cinema\Games room.
What can I say, I bought my DVD player when it was ¬£800, and yesterday I bought one for ¬£22 and it’s a fifth of the thickness with very good quality! Mug some may say, but I am a film freak, and I do love home cinema.
I will wait with baited breath! Once ive got a few pounds in the bank (get christmas out of the way and my new house refurbished!) I do plan to buy myself a quality home entertainment system, because at the moment I dont really get the full experience from my DVDs (no surround sound!). So with this new format, will all current DVD’s be useless, or will they make the hardware backwards compatible, like Sony have done with the Playstation 2?
I never thought I’d say that, but….
Thank you Disney!
Blue ray is the better format and it would be quite sad if HD DVD won the race. Although I have to agree with David that most costumers won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of Blue ray I still think it is a good thing that there is finally a shift in the resolution we view film material at home. The quality jump from DVD to Blue Ray is going to be quite noticable, since the resolution is going to be doubled. Just wait and see David. I am sure you’re going to fall in love with Blue Ray if you see a demonstration of it.
To be honest all this talk of different formats is a tad confusing! All I know, is it will probably be me, the consumer, that will suffer somewhere along the line! IThe thing that gets me, is how much can they improve on the quality that is already provided by the current DVD format? I do not have a home cinema system, so any minor quality enhancements are going to be lost on my standard normal wide screen TV!
I am happy with what i’ve got, the film studios make shed loads of money as it is (a new format will not make bad films good) so why change! The video cassette recorder and the tapes, whilst great in their day, were in desperate need of replacement. DVD has changed the world of home cinema. In my opinion “if it aint broke, dont fix it!” Jesus they haven’t even sorted out the DVD recorder formats yet!!!!
Pah at all these un-needed technology changes, its just a way of taking my money!!!