2008 Woodie Awards
Blu-ray may outgun HD DVD in latest format war
Brandon Judeh, Reporter
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Entertainment
In technology format wars, popularity beats quality.
Take the Betamax vs. VHS war of the '80s. Beta was the superior format, but did not have enough studios backing it, so more movie titles were released on VHS.
While the childhood Disney tape collections of college students everywhere still commemorate the victory of VHS, the latest front in the format wars is being fought in high definition between Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs.
With the recent defection of Warner Bros. to the Blu-ray camp, HD could soon find itself outmaneuvered in terms of popularity.
News like this is not discouraging to all HD owners at Youngstown State University. Sophomore Amy Needler loves her HD player.
"It's really good; I haven't had any problems with it. It's so clear and crisp, you can see all the stars' blemishes," Needler said, "even the ones on their souls."
So far, both sides have won some battles, with major gaming consoles each supporting one of the high def formats in addtion to playing video games. Sony's Playstation 3 plays Blu-ray movies, and the Xbox 360 offers a $180 HD player upgrade.
High def, high price
In general, standalone HD players are slightly cheaper than Blu-ray players.
HD players start out at $299 while Blu-ray players begin at $499. Playstation 3, perhaps, is the better deal at $599.
There are also combo players that play both formats, but those start around $1,000.
Most new format players will be compatible with old DVDs. DVDs in the new formats are also rather pricey, ranging from $20 to $28.
Brophy said that while price is an important consideration for consumers, it won't always be the deciding factor.
"I think the price difference will disappear shortly," Brophy said, suggesting that prices will drop considerably by the next holiday season.
"Early adopters of high tech gear will always pay a premium," Brophy said.
Eventually, the number of movies released on one format will outnumber the other.
"Content is the key," he said.
More movies, less problems
As far as content goes, not only do Blu-ray disks have a higher capacity, they also have more movie studios backing them.
The Walt Disney Company, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM are just a few of the companies that put their movies out on Blu-ray.
Warner Bros. announced that it plans to start releasing its DVDs exclusively on Blu-ray starting May 2008, a switch from its current exclusive deal with HD.
Take the Betamax vs. VHS war of the '80s. Beta was the superior format, but did not have enough studios backing it, so more movie titles were released on VHS.
While the childhood Disney tape collections of college students everywhere still commemorate the victory of VHS, the latest front in the format wars is being fought in high definition between Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs.
With the recent defection of Warner Bros. to the Blu-ray camp, HD could soon find itself outmaneuvered in terms of popularity.
News like this is not discouraging to all HD owners at Youngstown State University. Sophomore Amy Needler loves her HD player.
"It's really good; I haven't had any problems with it. It's so clear and crisp, you can see all the stars' blemishes," Needler said, "even the ones on their souls."
So far, both sides have won some battles, with major gaming consoles each supporting one of the high def formats in addtion to playing video games. Sony's Playstation 3 plays Blu-ray movies, and the Xbox 360 offers a $180 HD player upgrade.
High def, high price
In general, standalone HD players are slightly cheaper than Blu-ray players.
HD players start out at $299 while Blu-ray players begin at $499. Playstation 3, perhaps, is the better deal at $599.
There are also combo players that play both formats, but those start around $1,000.
Most new format players will be compatible with old DVDs. DVDs in the new formats are also rather pricey, ranging from $20 to $28.
Brophy said that while price is an important consideration for consumers, it won't always be the deciding factor.
"I think the price difference will disappear shortly," Brophy said, suggesting that prices will drop considerably by the next holiday season.
"Early adopters of high tech gear will always pay a premium," Brophy said.
Eventually, the number of movies released on one format will outnumber the other.
"Content is the key," he said.
More movies, less problems
As far as content goes, not only do Blu-ray disks have a higher capacity, they also have more movie studios backing them.
The Walt Disney Company, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM are just a few of the companies that put their movies out on Blu-ray.
Warner Bros. announced that it plans to start releasing its DVDs exclusively on Blu-ray starting May 2008, a switch from its current exclusive deal with HD.
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