Many comments being made by consumers and fans of both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD format reveal the misconceptions by many about the similarities and differences between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. The following article is a result of sorting through many of these comments and questions that have arisen about Blu-ray and HD-DVD and should shed fresh light those that have continued misconceptions regarding the nature of the two competing formats.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD Format Similarities
1. Blu-ray and HD-DVD can both use the same audio formats: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD, and Uncompressed PCM.
2. Blu-ray and HD-DVD can both use the same video formats: MPEG2, VC1, H264, MPEG4.
3. Blu-ray and HD-DVD both employ Blue Laser technology - Don't get mislead by the actual disc packaging: Blu-ray packaging is Blue and HD-DVD packaging is Red. The packaging colors are a marketing decisions and do not have amything to do with the fact that both formats use Blue Lasers to read the discs.
4. Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies are both mastered in 1080p/24. Videotaped content may be mastered in 1080i.
5. With regards to players, Blu-ray and HD-DVD players both play standard DVDs and utilize DVD video upscaling to improve the viewing experience of standard DVDs on HDTVs. This function is not part of the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, but it is a logical marketing decision.
6. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD can employ the HDMI connection standard for transfer of both audio and video.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD Format Differences - But Do They REALLY Make a Difference to You
So, the formats themselves have the same basic capabilities - However, there are differences in how these similarities are actually executed. Differences in implementation have to do with:
1. Disc structure - Technically Blu-ray Discs have the capability for more storage than HD-DVD discs. However, the disc storage space differences are not a factor in normal movie applications. Both disc formats have enough space for movies, uncompressed audio, and special features, especially when you take the implementation of disc layering and available video compression schemes into consideration.
Here are two examples of long films that fit easily on an a Dual-Layered HD-DVD discs, despite less disc storage capacity when compared to Blu-ray Discs:
A. Spartacus - Running Time 3 hours - 17 minutes - Compare Prices
B. King Kong (Peter Jackson) - Running Time 3 hours - 8 minutes - Compare Prices
2. Interactive capabilities - Blu-ray employs BD-Java, HD-DVD employs iHD.
3. All HD-DVD players are required to have Ethernet Ports for access to direct firmware downloading and other internet access features. Ethernet Ports are optional on Blu-ray Disc players, so many do not have them. In other words, while all HD-DVD have the ability to access web-enabled interactive features that may be included in some HD-DVD disc releases, most Blu-ray Disc players do not, and, as a result, not all Blu-ray Disc players can access all the features on some Blu-ray Disc releases.
In other words, while HD-DVD has had the ability of delivering interactive features in all of its players from day one, the Blu-ray camp has been adding interactive features on a piecemeal basis since the first players were introduced.
4. Copy-protection levels: Blu-ray will be implementing an extra level of copy-protection called BD+. Note: Both current copy-protection systems used by Blu-ray and HD-DVD have been "hacked".
5. Region coding: HD-DVD does not have region coding, enabling HD-DVD most movie discs from different parts of the World to be played on U.S. HD-DVD players and vice-versa.
Blu-ray currently employs a Region Coding System. For Blu-ray Discs, there are three regions, designated as follows: Region A (U.S., Japan, Latin America), Region B (Europe, Australia, and Africa), Region C (China, Russia, Remaining countries). This means that if you purchase a Blu-ray Disc movie from Europe, it may not be playable on a U.S. Blu-ray Disc player.
Proceed to Page 2 - Other Factors Leading to Misperception Regarding Blu-ray and HD-DVD Format Capabilities.
