The next generation of HD formats has been split in two for years. There has been some famous switching of sides (Microsoft leaving Blu-ray and joining HD-DVD).
A bit of background: HD-DVD was developed by Toshiba and NEC; Blu-ray is SONY response to a common format. SONY has a proven track record in creating their own versions of just about everything: from Betamax (vs. VHS) to memory sticks (vs. Compact Flash).
The conflict will be resolved by consumers and right now the HD-DVD seems to be in a better position to win popular support. HD-DVD has the backing of Time Warner (that’s Warner Bros. and New Line), Paramount, and Universal. The studios have committed to releasing almost 100 titles on HD-DVD by the year’s end.
Blu-ray is backed by SONY and its two studios, Columbia Tri-Star and MGM. Microsoft pulled out of the Blu-ray camp when they said the XBOX 2 will NOT use Blu-ray. This was turned around when Disney said they’ll release titles on Blu-ray. Apple has also joined the Blu-ray camp recently and one major player, 20th Century Fox, still haven’t made up their minds.
Although tech specs have little to do with who wins the race, here they are: HD-DVD holds 30 GB, Blu-ray holds 50 GB. Another difference could be in the region encoding. There are rumors that the HD-DVD will not support region codes.
SONY seems a bit behind right now. At the same time, they’ve recently announced their TOTAL commitment to Blu-ray as their default high-definition format. MGM’s film library of over 6,000 titles will be made available in the new HD format. The question remains when. The HD-DVD camp will start releasing their titles for the Christmas season when you can already record your HD video to a Blu-Ray DVD!
You have to admire SONY for their perseverance in these matters. Thank God, they allowed CompactFlash for some of their cameras (like the Sony 828). I was getting frustrated with memory sticks that cost double what a CF costs.