Comparing Blu-ray and HD DVD Formats

It's important to note that when it comes to next-generation DVD discs, we're in the middle of a format war -- and to choose one format over another, you have to choose sides in the battle.

Movie Studios

For example, movie studios are divided as to which format they support. Columbia Tri-Star, MGM, Disney, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox support Blu-ray, while Universal and Warner Brothers support HD DVD. That means that if you like Disney movies, you'll want to buy the Blu-ray format; don't expect Finding Nemo to be released on HD DVD. (That said, some studios -- including Warner Brothers and Paramount -- have announced support for both formats.)

Manufacturers

In the hardware front, different manufacturers are lining up behind different formats. Sony, of course, is a primary manufacturer of Blu-ray players; also in the Blu-ray camp are Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, Sharp, and LG Electronics. For HD DVD, primary hardware supporters include Toshiba, NEC, and Sanyo.

Gaming

The lines are also drawn in the videogame marketplace, where Sony is touting Blu-ray support in its upcoming PlayStation 3 system, while Microsoft will be adding HD DVD support to its Xbox 360 player. Microsoft is also adding HD DVD support to the forthcoming Windows Vista computer operating system.

But it's not just about which content is available on which format, or which format is supported by which hardware manufacturer. There are also some significant performance differences between the formats.

Codecs (Video Compression Schemes)

For example, at this point in time different video compression schemes, called codecs, are used by each format. Early Blu-ray discs use the existing MPEG-2 codec, which costs less to use but results in slightly lower playback quality. HD DVD discs, on the other hand, have been mastered using the newer VC1 codec, which is both more efficient and higher quality; this is why many reviewers have said that HD DVD discs have looked better than comparable Blu-ray discs. (This may change, of course, as the Blu-ray camp moves to the VC1 codec, which is an option in the Blu-ray format specifications.)

Disc Capacity

Also an issue is disc capacity. A dual-layer HD DVD disc can hold 30GB of data, which should be more than enough for most high-definition movies -- but it's still 20GB less than a Blu-ray disc. If movies are encoded at a higher bitrate (to improve quality) or with a large amount of extras, the extra storage space afforded by the Blu-ray format may become a factor -- when dual-layer Blu-ray discs become available, that is. The initial round of movies on Blu-ray are single-layer only, with just 25GB of storage. One might expect dual-layer discs to be more expensive than the initial single-layer discs.

Price

Speaking of price, current disc pricing is similar between formats -- and higher-priced than current DVDs. Most initial HD DVD discs are priced at $29.99, while Blu-ray discs range in price from $28.95 to $38.95.

There's a bigger price difference between the different types of players. The first-generation Blu-ray players are priced at around $1,000, while the initial HD DVD players are half that price, at around $500. This hardware price differential may equalize over time, however -- or not, as Blu-ray players appear to be more expensive to manufacturer than similar HD DVD players.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.