Re: (OT) Warner Bros Moves Exclusivily To Blu-Ray Format

In article <0001HW.C3AA804C000DDD28F01846D8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
George Graves <gmgraves2@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 12:37:52 -0800, ZnU wrote
(in article <znu-3AC910.15375209012008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):

[snip]

In reality, HDDVD would have been the way for Warner and Fox to go if
they really wanted the 'consumer' to be served well. The HW was already
nearly cheap enough and if HDDVD was the only one out there,
mass-adoption would occur sooner.

Meh. Blu-ray is the technically superior format, and long-term the cost
differences aren't meaningful because everything is going to be cheap in
a couple of years.

No, Blu-Ray isn't "the technically superior format". Actually, both HD-DVD
and Blu-Ray are very similar in a lot of ways. They both use the same blue
laser (405 nm) the only difference is that Blu-Ray employs an optical system
IN ADDITION TO the short wavelength laser to make the beam even smaller.
While this allows Blu-Ray to pack 25 gigabytes on each layer rather than 15
(HD-DVD) it also makes the discs harder to manufacture easier to damage and
more error-prone while playing.

Which is probably why the discs have an extra protective coating.

The extra capacity makes little difference in video applications
where either is more than sufficient for any commercial release, but
might come in handy for data. While the Blu-Ray disc can carry 50
Gigs on two layers (when and if they ever get it to yield - and then
there's only one manufacturing facility on earth that can make the
two layer 50-gig discs), HD-DVD can give 45 gigs in three layers and
are NOT having yield problems. The extra 5 gigs is certainly not
enough to quibble over.

Dual-layer Blu-Ray burners and media are on sale now. HD-DVD burners *of
any kind* are largely unavailable in the US at the moment, as far as I
can tell. When triple layer burners might emerge (and whether existing
players will be able to play the discs they burn) is anyone's guess. Of
course, if they *do* emerge in the next 12-24 months, their early
absence won't matter much (for all the reasons I've been discussing).
But will they?

You're right that the capacity differences don't matter much for movies
(though for e.g. season box sets of TV shows, you could use fewer
discs), but as media prices come down, one of these optical disc formats
is likely to come into widespread use for data storage. Whatever format
wins for movies is virtually certain to win in the data storage market
as well. It would be nice if it was the higher capacity format.

--
"More than two decades later, it is hard to imagine the Revolutionary War coming
out any other way."
--George W. Bush in Martinsburg, W. Va., July 4, 2007
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: (OT) Warner Bros Moves Exclusivily To Blu-Ray Format
    ... Because of the 'format war'. ... hadn't been for that phony war, the prices of BluRay would not be ... Blu-ray is the technically superior format, ... 50-gig discs), HD-DVD can give 45 gigs in three layers and are NOT having ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: (OT) Warner Bros Moves Exclusivily To Blu-Ray Format
    ... Blu-ray is the technically superior format, ... While this allows Blu-Ray to pack 25 gigabytes on each layer rather than 15 ... Which is probably why the discs have an extra protective coating. ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Blu-ray DVD: Higher Production Costs Likely.
    ... Blu-ray DVD format facing cost questions ... Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray disc technology appears to be the front-runner in the ... Both are high-capacity discs that will support the distribution ...
    (alt.video.dvd)
  • Re: DVD / DVD+R /DVD-R / DVDRW. Are they all really distinct media formats?
    ... What's the best way to figure out what format my Laptop supports? ... a DVD and my Dell Laptop 's inbuilt DVD reader ... A little more complex is the difference between the '-' discs and '+' ... Some older video DVD players will refuse to recognise the ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: Blu-Ray player for $349
    ... because it costs more to make Blu-Ray drives because of licensing as well as ... the cost of converting existing DVD presses to ... new equipment necessary to press Blu-Ray discs at a mass level. ... The players on the shelf today conform to what ...
    (alt.tv.tech.hdtv)