What you’re looking for on Blu-ray is an uncompressed video stream and audio stream. This is same thing you’re looking for on the HD DVD discs.
On Blu-ray, the uncompressed part - at least not as compressed – will show that all 25GB are used. That’s for a single-layer copy of the movie. Remember, Blu-ray can go all the way up to 50GB. What you’re looking for in audio is termed “lossless”. This usually comes in PCM or DTS formats and will be mentioned on the case.
Although the lossless sound experience can come in three different programming types on HD DVD, the only true uncompressed audio that is currently being used on HD DVD is Dolby True-HD. If an HD DVD disk you bought advertises that format, you’re getting the best sound out there available on HD DVD. For the best video presentation, you’re looking for a notation that includes VC-1 or AVC. VC-1 is used for the X-Box 360 game console to stream full motion video.
A further point in this clash between the two different players is that the Blockbuster franchise has gotten totally behind Blu-ray. They are stocking HD DVD and Blu-ray in almost 250 stores, but they’ve added another 1450 stores that will keep Blu-ray only on hand. That decision seems to have closed the door on the competition, leaving Blu-ray standing tall.
However, there remains one factor in that struggle that has yet to be completely weighed and measured. In the 1980s, pornography was the profit that drove the development and sales of a lot of the home entertainment sector. Nobody talks about it much, but the people who work all the balance sheets in accounting know that to be true. As the home video recorder/player became available across the country, so did porn tapes. Sales of both proliferated.
Sony, developer of the Blu-ray technology, has stated that it will not support the adult entertainment industry on its discs. HD DVD has support from Playboy Enterprises, Bang Bros, Wicked Pictures, and other adult entertainment film producers. This has made the HD DVD format more popular in European markets.
It is possible to get a player that will play both formats. I don’t like having systems like that because one part of it can go down and you still have to turn in the whole player to have it fixed. Also, many times the hybrids produced like this don’t get good support for very long. They’re usually the first to die.
Article comments
1 - HDDVDnet
As an person who owns both a bluray player and an HD DVD player I cant believe how bias and slanted this article is. How bout releasing the truth like that FOX has release 0 movies in the last 6 months or that there was no fence sitting, they were signed into contracts before the launch or that over 70% of all blu-ray relases are on BD 25g disc which is less then the average 30g HD disc. BTW the use of MPEG2 and PCM makes that the equivelant of a 12g disc
2 - Chris
It should be noted that both HD DVD & Blu-ray use the same compression codecs and there is no difference between them.
Also, the movie "Liar Liar" fits on a 15 GB HD DVD, so 30 GB is more than enough space. Planet Earth came on 4 dics for both Blu-ray & HD DVD.
3 - Ken Edwards
The whole planet Earth?
*chuckle*
But is The Ultimate Matrix Collection out of BD yet? Last I checked that is still an HD DVD exclusive, with no clear release date for BD.
4 - juggs
[Gratuitous vulgarity deleted by Comments Editor.] Blu ray isn't even finalized in spec how is it going to go beyond hd-dvd when most first gen players besides the ps3 cannot play the shit.
5 - Jeff Shine Speaks Real
The format war is BS. I think all studios should publish both formats and let the consumers decide. If that happens, watch BR fall to the side. Sony is terrified of that happening.