Tech Poll: Blue-ray vs HD DVD (a.k.a VHS vs Betamax for DVD's), which will stay?
Location: Forum - Internet - Tech Poll: Blue-ray vs HD DVD (a.k.a VHS vs Betamax for DVD's), which will stay?
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Author: robvdl
User type: Administrator
Posts: 122
Date: July 10, 2006, 11:37 a.m.For those of you that aren't aware yet, there are two brand new "high definition" DVD formats coming out, they've been worked on for a while now and are slowly starting to come out now. Sony's "Blue-ray" and Toshiba's "HD DVD" (also backed by Microsoft). The problem is that both of these are completely different formats and I think there should really be a standard in place before people like me may consider getting a drive. In my opinion it's kind of what we saw years ago in the VHS vs Betamax debate. Only one could really survive in the end, so VHS stayed.
This "debate" has been going on for well over a year, while both formats were quietly being developed under some secrecy, in the early stages I was putting my bets on Blue-ray because I thought the specs looked good. However, when tested not too long ago, some reviewers have been quoting that Blue-ray's picture quality hasn't been upto scratch, compared to HD DVD.
Recently, CD/DVD drive manufacturer Ricoh claims they have developed a drive lens than can read/write to both formats as well as standard CD's and DVD's, which previously was said to not be possible and require two separate drives ([Link])http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=190300953)).
My question is, when these dual purpose drives will be coming out, which format will stay, and which one will fade away over time? Will Blue-ray lose out just like Betamax did, because HD DVD has the better picture quality, or could it go the other way? Another thing to take in consideration is that Sony 'may' still bundle Blue-ray into the upcoming Playstation 3, but nothing has been officially set. Microsoft also had early plans to bundle HD DVD in the Xbox 360, but these fell through and now HD DVD will be available to XBox 360 as an optional add-on, which if Sony bundled the Blue-ray in the PS3 by default would give them a bit more of an edge again. It's hard to say what's going to happen, what are your views? 😉
Another thing that I just learned from reading that article about the Ricoh lens, is that HD DVD data is stored 0.6mm deep in the disk, just like standard DVD. Blue-ray however is 0.1mm deep in the disk. Does that mean that Blue-ray disks may be easier to scratch? Tell us what you think about these new high definition drives, will you stick to standard DVD until new formats have settled, or do you want to be one of the first to have this new technology, what are your views? 😉
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Author: Winston
User type: Standard User
Posts: 24
Date: July 30, 2006, 4:31 a.m.Just hope that they either settle on one standard very soon, or have drives that will read both (at reasonable prices).
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Author: robvdl
User type: Administrator
Posts: 122
Date: July 30, 2006, 2:49 p.m.Yeah I agree, it's silly really, did they not learn from the VHS vs Betamax drama when they were developing two separate drives, lol.
One of them is going to pocket a lot of money, and one of them is going towards a serious loss, this is what you get when corporations do not want to work together nicely, which is the way I believe it should be, using a standard.
At the moment it looks like HD DVD has the upper hand, being a better quality picture, and the data being not too close to the surface, so it shouldn't scratch as easy, but who knows, it could still go either way.
I'm personally going to wait this out too, not buy a new drive until this is resolved, and I think a lot of people will want to do the same. Sony and Toshiba should have known this would come if you make seperate drives and not work with each other.
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Author: Soap Merchant
User type: Standard User
Posts: 80
Date: March 2, 2008, 12:11 a.m.I can say that blue-ray has won. I heard somewhere or read somewhere the other day.
the company/s developing HD-DVD have abandoned it. And apparantly this is going to really upset M$oft cause most of there new next gen console games where going to be HD-DVD or something like that.
anyway, its sat night and im bored.
No one to talk to on msnm and ive already been out and had my fun hehe.
When will they make full virtual reality for the home pc user so i can plug myself in and forget about the rest of my life lol.
UGH, visions of people turning into computer chair vegetables are comeing into mind hehe. But hold on, if your hungry just eat a virtual big mack. your brain thinks youve eaten so who cares lol.
