Digital Journal ― It’s been called the biggest format battle since Beta and VHS duked it out decades ago, and the competition is about to heat up even more as Sony gets ready to launch its new Blu-ray DVD format.
In a recent announcement, Sony says it will deliver its Blu-ray format in the United States on May 23, 2006. The DVD launch will coincide with the entry of compatible disc players, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment will release up to eight Blu-ray titles, followed by another eight, in mid-June. The first movie titles will be 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch and House of Flying Daggers.
Like the Beta-VHS war of yesteryear, HD-DVD and Blu-ray have been battling for DVD format supremacy. Both formats support high-definition video, and as the leaders of both Blu-ray and HD-DVD, Sony and Toshiba have fought a long battle to have their respective technology adopted as the next generation’s industry standard. Each format is supported by certain studios in Hollywood, dozens of tech companies and even video game manufacturers.
Blu-ray is still the industry favourite, as the format is supported by more companies and the discs offer higher capacity. HD-DVD, however, is cheaper to produce and it is poised to launch later this month.
Both camps hope that new technology with high-definition video, greater storage capacity and interactive features will help elevate the sagging $24 billion home video market.
But unlike the format wars of the past, a new factor that could help determine the standard format is video game consoles, as Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 will support HD-DVD and Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3 will support Blu-ray. While the industry struggles to determine a standard, video game users could help turn the tides by making one game console more popular than the other, thus putting more support behind a particular DVD format.
Sony’s planned launch in May will coincide with the first commercially available Blu-ray disc player by Samsung. Other disc players made by companies like Sony and Pioneer are scheduled for later release.
Which format do you think will emerge as the new standard? If you were to buy a new DVD player, would you buy HD-DVD or Blu-ray? Post your comments below.
