Blue-Ray vs HD DVD

Is the time coming soon when we will all have to make a choice between Blue-Ray or HD DVD? If so, which one will be the better choice?

These two questions are probably the biggest questions you will have to ask yourself when it comes to your home entertainment systems in the near future. Both formats have a lot to offer. They can hold much more data than the standard DVD. They offer an even better quality in sound and picture as well.

So what is the best route? Well, the Blue-Ray discs can hold more data than HD DVD but the systems are more expensive at retail (at least for the time being) and the discs cost more to produce. Blue-Ray has jumped a major obstacle recently: Blockbuster has announced that it will only carry Blue-Ray movies in its stores. All stores that currently carry HD DVD will continue to carry them but all other locations will start carrying Blue-Ray. Does this mean HD DVD is dead in the water? Not by a long shot.

Toshiba is the major backer behind HD DVD and they are a HUGE company. In addition to Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo are also behind it. The major studios currently offering movies on HD DVD are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. This is nothing to laugh about. HD DVD has a lot of power behind it.

Blue-Ray is backed mainly by Sony and has at least thirteen other major companies in line with it including Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard. LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp. The major studios include 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Electronic Arts, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Vivendi Universal Games and Warner Bros. In addition to stand alone players, you can also play Blue-Ray movies on PS3 systems which typically cost less than the players.

As you can see, some of the studios are backing both systems for now. There are even a few electronics companies putting a hand in both camps, such as LG who has recently come out with a system that can play both HD DVD and Blue Ray. This is probably not going to be the norm for the industry, though. As said in the movie "Highlander", there can be only one.

Check out our online poll in the sidebar and let us know which one will you pick.

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