Blu-ray and HD DVD are rival incompatible formats, a situation that recalls the Beta versus VHS battle that stifled the early growth of the VCR and home-video market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite an attempt to unify the two standards in 2005, the corporate godfathers of the two formats--Sony for Blu-ray and Toshiba for HD DVD--failed to come to an agreement.
What that means to you is that no Blu-ray player will be able to play HD DVD discs, and no HD DVD player can play Blu-ray discs. If a movie comes out in one format, there's no guarantee that it will be available in the other. Certain studios could release movies in both formats, but you'll still have to be careful not to buy the wrong version of the movie. Adding to the frustration is the fact that the capabilities and features of the two formats are far more similar than they are different--as shown by the chart below.
Feature |
DVD |
HD DVD |
Blu-ray |
Maximum native resolutions supported via HDMI |
EDTV (480p) |
HDTV (720p, 1080i, 1080p) |
HDTV (720p, 1080i, 1080p) |
Maximum image-constrained native resolutions supported via component video1 |
EDTV (480p) |
EDTV+ (960x540) |
EDTV+ (960x540) |
Disc capacity |
4.7GB (single layer)
8.5GB (dual layer) |
15GB (single layer)
30GB (dual layer)
45GB (prototype triple layer) |
25GB (single layer)
50GB (dual layer)
100GB (prototype quad layer) |
Video capacity (per dual-layer disc)2 |
SD: approximately 3 hours
HD: n/a |
SD: approximately 13 hours
HD: 5.1 or 3.3 hours, depending on encoding method |
SD: approximately 23 hours
HD: 8.5 or 5.6 hours, depending on encoding method |
Audio soundtracks3 |
Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES |
Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES |
Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS-ES |
Manufacturer support (home theater)4 |
All |
Toshiba, LG, Thomson/RCA, Onkyo, Samsung |
Hitachi, Mitsubishi, LG, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, Thomson/RCA |
Manufacturer support (PC storage)4 |
All |
Microsoft, Intel, HP, NEC, Toshiba |
Apple, Dell, Benq, HP, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony, TDK |
Studio support4 |
All |
Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, Warner, the Weinstein Company, DreamWorks Animation |
Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Warner, Lions Gate |
Compatible video game consoles |
PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Revolution |
Xbox 360 (via external HD DVD accessory, sold separately) |
PlayStation 3 |
Player prices |
$99 and less |
$180 (Xbox 360 accessory); $299 and more (stand-alone players); $999 for combo player |
$599 (PlayStation 3); $499 and more (stand-alone players); $999 for combo player |
Movie prices |
$6 and more (retail) |
$20 to $28 (retail) |
$20 to $28 (retail) |
Number of titles available by the end of 2007 |
50,000-plus |
about 330 |
about 360 |
Players are backward compatible with existing DVD videos |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Set-top recorders available now |
Yes |
No |
No |
"Managed copy" option5 |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Copy protection/digital rights management6 |
Macrovision, CSS |
AACS, ICT |
AACS, ICT, BD+, BD-ROM Mark |
Region-coded discs and players7 |
Yes |
No (currently; could change in future) |
Yes |
