An introduction to Destruction
There’s this immense gray area in the realm of Hi-Definition Picture Technology–it’s a new technology, relatively speaking, yet it’s already seen a huge rise in popularity and use in the last few years. And along comes HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, only which DVD Reader/Writer format to use for Hi-Definition DVDs is in question. It’s too early to take a step in either direction, for most, and with talks of lawsuits arising from even attempting to make a multi-format compatible player, it’s even more difficult to choose which side of the fence one wants to be on when the gates close.
The Blu-Ray Blues
As I begin to break down both formats, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, it becomes clearer as to who may win, but both formats have their upsides and downsides. Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs are pretty much the same technology, using the same type of laser: a violet blue laser set at a 405 nanometer wavelength. The amount of data the Blu-Ray format can store, layer for layer, is greater, but whether or not the dual-layer Blu-Rays can be effectively produced remains to be seen. In addition, the Blu-Ray’s physical durability, while in comparison, the HD-DVD media is considered to be less resiliant without the recently implemented proprietary polymers used to protect the surface and data-backing of the disc. The main reason Blu-Ray is less resilient to physical damage (scratches, dust, etc) is because the data is written much closer to the surface of the disc, which required a proprietary layer of protection to be developed, while with HD-DVD, which is set lower on the media, and therefore didn’t require the extra protection. Although this is a moot point considering all studios backing the Blu-Ray format aren’t likely to opt out of the option to implement it, the possibility that some studios will is still present despite its unlikelihood. Physical maladies aside, the Blu-Ray holds an astounding 25 Gigabytes per layer, and with the possibility of dual-sided dual-layer Blu-Ray DVDs in the future, the overall capacity could possibly swell to an astounding 100 Gigabytes, whereas the HD-DVD is half that; though it should be noted that the Blu-Ray’s current capacity is stuck at 50 Gigs due to the problems with the production of Dual-Layer Blu-Ray Discs. In terms of maximum video run-time, Blu-Ray media holds around 9 hours of Hi-Definition video and 23 Hours of Standard Definition–twice this much is boasted on larger capacity discs. The standard HD-DVD discs have a capacity of 5.5 hours of Hi-Definition video on 20GB discs and 8.4 hours on 32GB discs. Both formats implement MPEG-2, H.264/AVC and VC-1 Video Encoding formats as well as sound support up to Dolby 7.1 as well as 24-bit/192kHz two channel audio.
Avast Ye Pirates
Since the encryption on standard DVDs were cracked long ago, implementing a new encryption system would essentially ‘break’ the DVD format, so it has been left as-is. However, it seems the creators of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray (and all-star array of companies and studios) won’t repeat the same mistake expecting different results. Instead, they acknowledge that encryption is generally cracked by pirates at an astounding rate. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray have different solutions, but each separate solution helps to widen the gap between the formats in this ‘war’. The Blu-Ray format uses an experimental encryption they’re calling BD+ which allows for compromised keys, should they be cracked, to be updated in subsequent disc production, which prevents their cryptography from being forever ‘broken’. It also uses a secondary “Mandatory Managed Copy” system which allows users to copy content a limited number of times by requiring the user to register for the keys to access the capability to copy the content. Blu-Ray uses a form of Digital Watermarking called “ROM-Mark”, which requires a specific piece of hardware to be inserted on a disc, and all compatible devices will check for this mark or the disc will not play. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray use AACS (Advanced Access Content System), which allows one or more AES Keys to be used to encrypt the disc to discourage and attempt to stop piracy. There are other rumored technologies that may be implemented, but they are little more than that at the moment.
The hardware And All The Rest
A major difference between the HD formats and your run-of-the-mill DVD is the system it uses for subtitles, menus and other interactive features on the disc that require a separate MPEG Video Sequence, which when you think about it is really quite primitive when weighed against what’s available to do those jobs. HD-DVD uses what’s called the “iHD Interactive Format” which is essentially implementation of web-based languages for interactive content and presentation (using XML, CSS, SMIL and EMCA Scripts, each for their own task); it allows for menu overlays without stopping the media, bookmarking, picture-in-picture, and even network access to allow for downloads of new features and HD Trailers. On the other side of the scales is Blu-Ray with a unique Version of Java known as “BD-J” which promises much of what iHD Interactive Format does. HD-DVD players currently support resolutions up to 1080i, whereas Blu-ray is currently fully capable up to 1080p although all HD-DVDs are currently encoded for 1080p, but no players currently support the 1080p output.
The Marketplace
Currently the HD-DVD format has sold more units than Blu-Ray, yet Blu-Ray maintains revenues higher than HD-DVD hardware sales. Blu-Ray also brings an astounding one hundred seventy companies (including film studios) to the table in terms of support; the board of directors consists, almost exclusively, of multi-billion dollar companies including, but not limited to, Apple, Dell, Walt Disney Pictures, Sony and Panasonic. HD-DVD is currently supported by over twenty companies and studios and is backed by the likes of Intel, Hewlett Packard, Intel and Microsoft in addition to being exclusively backed by Universal Studios. And in the works is a rumored 150 Million Dollar ad campaign. Blu-Ray drives will ship on the highly anticipated gaming console by Sony, the PlayStation 3, as standard hardware. HD-DVD hardware is rumored to be produced for the XBox 360 as an external ad-on.
Possible Implications / My personal Opinion
It’s a format war, we’ve seen them before and format wars are occurring in increasing frequency; I don’t think they are a good thing for anyone–least of which the consumer. With no multi-format hardware in sight, it seems that at some point it’s going to come down to one format or the other, and Blu-Ray seems to be in the best position to finish first. The Blu-Ray is shipping on the PS3, and despite what I think about the PS3′s huge price-tag, it’s considerably less than some standalone Blu-Ray hardware and therefore is in a better position to become widespread. Tack onto that what the Blu-Ray All-star team brings to the table, plus dozens upon dozens of smaller companies. HD-DVD can’t survive on Intel, Microsoft and Universal alone, despite their efforts. In conclusion, I believe it’s too difficult to decide on which side of the fence I want to sit in on–I want to see all the cards on the table before I even buy some chips.
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