Blu-ray vs. HD DVD

Update: HD DVD is dead following Toshiba’s announcement to stop support for the format.

HD DVD or Blue-ray? That is truly the question…

Is it worth your investment; is there really a big difference? The war for the disc of the next generation has now been going on for over two and a half years with still no winner! Here is what you should know before taking the plunge for either.

HD DVD:

Positives

• HD DVD players can fit easily into your price range, get one at Amazon for $129.99.
• All players will upscale your current DVD library to 1080i.
• Mail in rebate for five free HD DVD movies.
• All current players are future proof (will play all HD DVD to come).

Negatives

• HD DVD has almost half the storage space of a Blu-ray disc.
• Supported by only two of the major studios (Universal and Paramount).
• HD DVD has less market share because it is much less popular among consumers.
• Toshiba is the only company in the US producing standalone players for HD DVD discs.

Blu-ray:

Positives

• The discs have a large 50 GB capacity and can serve as a handy backup solution.
• Don’t like Sony? Blue-ray has you covered with multiple manufactures all over the world.
• Gamers are in luck, all Playstation 3’s come standard with a Blu-ray player.

Negatives

• Blue-ray players are far more expensive then HD DVD players.
• It takes about an extra second more to produce media on a Blu-ray disc.
• All players made to date other the Playstation 3 will not be able to update to profile 2.0 for additional features.
• Companies will have to add new equipment to handle the cover layer portion of the discs; this slightly increases the price.

I personally wanted HD DVD to win but with there dwindling market share, it does not look good for the red camp.

If you want to watch all the latest movies, hassle free without limit, and you don’t mind emptying your wallet a bit, then Blue-ray is the way to go. However, if you’re tight on cash and are looking for a cheap solution to watching HD movies, then HD DVD might just be your choice. Or if you want to enjoy both you can buy a combo player, but those will run you up about $700.

Personally, I think that you should wait it out until there is a true winner. I expect this to happen within the next month or two. Although it is hard for me to decide, I think that Blu-ray is going to come out on top. You never know though, they might both decide to stay in the game together.