High Definition Digital Versatile Disk.
HD DVD is short for High Definition Digital Versatile Disk. It is a redundant, high-density optical disk format for data storage and high-definition video playback. Toshiba and NEC led other companies like HP, Sanyo, RCA, Microsoft, Kenwood, Intel and Memory-Tech Corporation in sponsoring HD DVD envisaged that it would be the successor to regular DVD format. Hitachi Maxell, Lite-On, LG, Onkyo, Samsung, Meridan and Alpine DID not solely endorse the HD DVD format. Toshiba left HD DVD after a prolonged format battle with competitor Blu-ray, declaring that it would no longer produce HD DVD drives and players. Later, Universal Studios discontinued their support for HD DVD and joined Blu-Ray.
Blu-ray is a format designed for high-performance data and high definition video. Matsushita, Phillips and Sony created Blu-Ray Disc. Instead of bringing the arrangement to the DVD Group, Sony spoke to large electronics firms and many signed up to endorse Blu-Ray, establishing the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA). Companies that give continuing support for Blu-Ray includes PC makers Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Sony, and electronics giants LG, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, Matsushita/Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Sharp, Samsung, Thomson and TDK. Film companies like Columbia TriStar, MGM and Sony Pictures (all three owned by Sony), 20th Century Fox, Disney and Lions Gate Entertainment, as well as video game makers Electronic Arts and Vivendi Universal Games, and the support cornerstone for Blu-Ray seems very impressive.
Benefits of the HD DVD format
HD DVD players were significantly cheaper than Blu-ray players. Toshiba suggests that the reality that HD DVDs were using the same manufacturing facilities as DVDs is the primary reason why HD DVD players were affordable to consumers. HD DVD utilized the same red laser technology as the old DVDs, making it feasible to manufacture the HD DVD entirely on the same machinery already established in DVD factories. It leverages most of the manufacturing machinery that made the currently outdated DVDs.
HD DVD gives twin disc support. The player can read both HD DVD and DVD video formats.
Drawbacks of the HD DVD format
HD DVD has a low-resolution power, poorly compressed audio that reduces quality. It does not support high-definition television.
Benefits of Blu-ray format
Blu-ray disks have more storage capacity and sophisticated piracy security (ray Benefits – Blu-ray Disc Association). The increased disk volume designed to allow for an HD video resolution of up to 1080p. Blu-ray gave a better quality image compared to HD DVD. DVD was exclusive to MPEG-2 video up to 9.8 Mbps while Blu-ray Disk upgrades the ante with MPEG-2, Microsoft / SMPTE VC-1, and MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 codecs up to 40 Mbps, culminating in much clearer video with fewer glitches. Blu-ray has better colors in its videos. Blu-ray Disk added systems with high Dynamic Range imagery, allowing greater use of the brightness of the new display screens to further detail images. It has better audio quality because it does not compress sounds in a video.
It has a better ability to store and transmit data quantities greater than 5 GB. Blu Ray has a better disk surface, with enhanced scratch and smudge resistance. Disc manufacturers produced a hard-coat agent to spread over the polycarbonate surface, making the disks much harder to damage by scratching. Blu-ray has improved interactivity, with internet connectivity and a more productive, more intelligent and powerful operating system to create interactive functionality (ray Benefits – Blu-ray Disc Association).
Drawbacks of Blu-ray format
Blu-ray is more expensive compared to HD DVD format. The player ‘s initial selling price and the continuing costs involved in purchasing the disks (Orth, 2016). The costs are higher than the DVD competitors.
To benefit from Blu-ray’s upgraded visual experience, you must attach your player to high-definition television. Blu-ray film delivers the same level of image and sound like a regular DVD without watching from a high-definition playback. It is an additional cost apart from the purchase of a player and the discs.
Though Blu-ray provides beyond comparison a great image and high-definition experience crisp, the Digital Rights Management restricts the provision of some features (Norquest, 2019). DRM ‘s purpose is to defend against the copying of protected films, an act that stems from the use of personal computers to copy material illegally. DRM needs frequent updates.
Blu-ray has frequent firmware updates that require an internet connection, and failure to update may mean that some discs may not play in your player (Orth, 2016).
I agree that Blu-ray was a superior choice technologically over HD DVD because it provided better quality images and audio, giving the users an incredible visual and entertainment experience. Using Blu-ray may be expensive than HD DVD, but it is worth the struggle because you will get a high definition quality in your movies. Its capability to store large volumes of data also makes it a better technological choice as HD DVD storage capacity was low.
Processing hardware for HD DVDs
To create the HD DVD format, one needs an HD DVD optical drive, software good enough to playback HD DVD movies, and a powerful enough CPU / GPU combination with hardware-accelerated deciphering. HD DVD holds 15 gigabytes and a maximum of 60 gigabytes.
Processing hardware for Blu-ray
To create the Blu-ray format, one needs a Blu-ray optical drive, software good enough to playback Blu-ray or HD DVD movies, and a powerful enough CPU / GPU combination with hardware-accelerated deciphering. one needs a monitor that can view in high-resolution Blu-ray and HD DVD. Graphics card with H.264 acceleration, HDCP-compliant with a crypto-ROM chip, and preferably with 256MB memory. HDCP is a technique of copy protection used on most commercially available Blu-ray films to detect unauthorized replication. The video card must endorse HDCP. the Blu-ray format holds 25 gigabytes to 50 gigabytes of data with a possible addition to 200 gigabytes
For setup, one can use a computer with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ CPU, NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT, and an LG H10N SuperMulti Blue BD Rewriter drive. Sony’s latest Bravia KLV-46X200A 1080p LCD TV was used for display.
Similarities between the HD DVDs and Blu-ray formats
Both necessitate consumers to purchase new players because they depend on blue lasers to read high-definition discs.
Both sides partnered up big studios and hardware suppliers, and both used game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s Playstation 3 to achieve secure a market for their products.
Both HD DVD and Blu-ray use MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) / VC-1 / MPEG-2 video codecs.
Differences between the HD DVDs and Blu-ray formats
the Blu-ray format holds 25 gigabytes to 50 gigabytes of data with additional capacity possible to 200 gigabytes, whereas the HD DVD holds 15 gigabytes and a maximum of 60 gigabytes.
Blu-ray interactivity uses Blu-ray Disc Java, whereas the HD DVD uses HDi Interactive Format.
The maximum video resolution for Blu-ray is 1080p High Definition TV, 2160p, 4k Ultra HD in contrast, HD DVD uses 1920×1080 24/25/30p or 50/60i HDTV