Lowering Cost of Technology Could be Decisive in HD Disc Format War

As the hold that Sony's Blu-ray high def DVD format has on the market continues to get stronger in the face of opposition from the competing HD-DVD format, there are a number of things that Sony could do in order to secure a sure victory. One of them is lowering the cost of its Blu-ray disc players.

There's a lot of evidence to support the idea that this move would make for a sure victory over HD-DVD. Most of this evidence comes in the form of sales statistics. Right now, despite the fact that Blu-ray players cost roughly twice as much as HD-DVD players, there are just as many Blu-ray disc players in American homes as there are HD-DVD players. When you add in the number of Sony's Play Station 3 video game consoles- which also function as Blu-ray players- the number of Blu-ray players in American homes is significantly higher than the number of HD-DVD players out there. Combine those statistics with the fact that Blu-ray discs have outsold HD-DVD's in the past couple of months by a margin of over two to one, and it becomes pretty obvious that consumers as a whole like the Blu-ray format more than the HD-DVD format.

There are several reasons why the Blu-ray format may be more popular among consumers than the HD-DVD format. The most obvious technical difference is that the Blu-ray format can encode a lot more data onto each disc than the HD-DVD format can. This translates into longer movies and more bonus features that can be included on Blu-ray discs. Since both High Def DVD formats are also optical discs just like DVD's and CD's, there are plenty of computer applications for the technology as well. More data storage capacity translates into being able to deliver more software on each Blu-ray disc than on an HD-DVD disc. Blu-ray is also a better choice for data archiving than HD-DVD. Specifically, the HD-DVD format can only store fifteen gigabytes of data per side of the disc while Blu-ray can store twenty five gigabytes of data per side of the same sized disc! With that kind of a difference, it could be argued that even if HD-DVD was the winner of the format war, it would end up being replaced by something like Blu-ray anyway. Using Blu-ray now, just skips that step.

With the overall popularity of Blu-ray, Sony could secure its win in the format war by lowering the prices of its players. Losses of profits from the players could more than be made up for in coming years by licensing and royalties from having a monopoly on the high def DVD market. Also, as the cost of producing Blu-ray players goes down, Sony will eventually be able to profit on sales of them as well. Unfortunately Sony has been unwilling to make that effort so far, but another company called Funai will force the price of Blu-ray players down by introducing their own Blu-ray players onto the market that will cost around five hundred dollars a piece- a figure much more in line with what HD-DVD players cost.

It's interesting that a little known company could secure a victory in the format war for Sony by doing what Sony has so far refused to do for itself.

E. Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the latest technology news about Cable TV. She has written for many major publications about Cable TV Providers and how buyers can find the best deals.

Sales Projections Assume That Both HDTV DVD Technologies Will Survive Format War

Ever since the Blu-ray HDTV DVD format barged into the market right on the heels of Toshiba's introduction of the HD-DVD format the prevailing wisdom in the home entertainment electronics industry has been that only one of these two formats would be able to survive the inevitable format war between them. The inescapable logic of the fact that in order for only one to survive, the other has to perish has led many consumers to put off the purchase of any high def DVD technology at all because of the aversion to being left with obsolete and therefore useless technology.

The possibility of being left with the embarrassment and lost money of having purchased a losing technology is not without precedent. In fact, one of the reasons why consumers have been so reluctant to purchase either an HD-DVD player or a Blu-ray player is because many of them still have memories of the war between the VHS and Betamax video cassette formats back in the early nineteen eighties. Eight track tapes provide another cautionary tale.

There is one fundamental difference between the current high def DVD format war and the video cassette and audio cassette format wars: Betamax was a different size and shape than VHS and eight track tapes were shaped differently from the winning audio cassette format, while the diameter and thickness of Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's are identical. This means that while those warring magnetic tape formats weren't physically capable of being played on the same cassette deck, there's absolutely now reason why you can't at least load Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's into the same drive.

The fact that Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's have identical dimensions (and dimensions that are identical to CD's and conventional DVD's as well) has prompted some companies to find ways to work around their incompatibilities. For example, Warner Brothers has come up with a way to print a movie in Blu-ray format on one side of a disc and the same movie in HD-DVD format on the other side of the same disc. If this format becomes mainstream, consumers will be able to buy high def DVD's regardless of which type of player they have and without paying any attention to which format they're buying.

LG and Samsung have also come up with a way to work around the incompatibilities by producing a device that can read discs in both formats. These dual disc format high def DVD players cost a little bit more than normal high def DVD players, but take care of all of the compatibility concerns.

These technological developments have prompted the industry to rethink the wisdom that only one format can survive. Rather than assuming that one format will go extinct, many sales projections take into account the possibility that both will be around for a long time. If this is the case it will be because these other technologies that bridge the gap between the two formats have thrived and been embraced by consumers. And as far as Toshiba and Sony go, while neither will dominate the high def DVD market the way they both hoped they would, they should take some solace that neither will end up losing completely either.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish TV services and how you can find the best Dishnet HD Promotions.

Technology Holds Solution to High Def DVD Format War

There have been several different solutions proposed to end the format war between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD DVD high def DVD formats. One possible solution is a disc that has a Blu-ray version of a movie on one side and an HD DVD version of the same movie on the other side. If discs like these became universal then consumers wouldn't have to decide between buying an HD DVD player or a Blu-ray player. Any disc could be used by either player.

Another solution that has been proposed is the possibility that is more of a solution by default as both formats become obsolete. This would be accomplished by the introduction of some new technology that makes DVD's obsolete, and is obviously not an acceptable solution in the view of Sony or Toshiba. One example of a technology that could do this is mass storage of video on portable hard drives. This video would be stored in a highly compressed format on very large drives that could connect to existing home entertainment equipment through the use of USB technology. Consumers would purchase these drives for a reasonable price and then pay for the access codes to watch individual videos on the disk. In effect, this would be much like the kind of video on demand service that satellite TV providers offer right now, only with a lot more videos to choose from and the ability to access any videos that have been unlocked indefinitely.

Another DVD killing technology would be anything that would allow a comprehensive video on demand service. Basically, if it was possible to get virtually any video ever made from the comfort of one's own home- both high def and conventional- there would cease to be any point in producing DVD's. Fortunately for everyone who has an interest in DVD's, such a service is a long way off, as much for legal copyright reasons as technical ones.

Then there's the possibility of HDTV killing technologies. Three Dimensional TV is one potential example of this. But it should be mentioned that there is a prototype Blu-ray player that's supposedly capable of upconverting high def video from Blu-ray discs so that it appears in three dimensions when viewed through goggles or on a 3D HDTV.

Perhaps the best technology that has been implemented so far that could end the format war is the dual format HDTV DVD player. Currently these devices are made by LG and Samsung, and their defining characteristic is that they can both play High Def DVD's in both formats. In other words, anyone who buys one of these devices doesn't have to be concerned about the high def DVD format war because they can play discs in either format. Of course, even if dual format high def DVD players became universal, HD DVD and Blu-ray would still be fighting for greater market share, but that wouldn't really be of any concern to consumers. In fact, consumers would probably benefit from a format war like that because the two sides would hold each others' prices down.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like dual format players will be a real solution because they cost so much. Right now it would be a better use of money to buy both an HD DVD player and a Blu-ray player separately. Hopefully though, this technology will come down in price to the point where it's completely viable.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish TV services and how you can find the best Dishnet TV HD Deals

Problems Exposed In Dual Format High Def DVD Technology

Very few companies get the implementation of new technology completely right the first time around, and LG seems to be no exception with its new Super Multi Blue Player which is designed to play high definition DVD's in both HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats. That's according to a journalist with USA Today.

The Super Multi Blue Player has earned wide spread recognition and praise for this possibility that it could broker a peace between Toshiba, which created the HD-DVD format, and Sony, which created that Blu-ray format. Although both formats are based on similar technology that's able to encode much more data onto a disc than is possible with a standard DVD, the player of one format can't play discs of another format. The result has been a format war that has scared many would be consumers away from buying players of either format because of fear of being left with the losing technology. Because of this fear of buying into a losing technology, the Super Multi Blue Player is a safe bet: no matter which format wins out in the end, the device will be able to play discs in the winning format.

The main problem with the Super Multi Blue Player according to the article is that it costs too much. It's true that with a retail price of almost $1200, many consumers will be scared off from buying it. One of the supporting arguments for why this device costs too much is that it's too far above the price of standard DVD players. The article elaborates by pointing out that the original DVD technology was a much bigger step above VHS video cassette technology than High Def DVD technology is above standard DVD technology. In the end analysis, the article argues, the Super Multi Blue Player simply isn't worth so much more money than a standard DVD player.

While a $1200 price tag may be too steep for many consumers, the journalist seems to be missing the real question. The real question concerning the Super Multi Blue Player's price is whether or not the difference between it and a Blu-ray player or an HD-DVD player is worth the extra peace of mind of the consumer knowing that he or she won't have an obsolete machine when Sony and Toshiba have finally hashed everything out.

One fact that supports the idea that the Super Multi Blue Player may be cost effective is that it still costs less than the option of buying both a Blu-ray and an HD-DVD player separately. But only barely, and the advantage could evaporate with the possible introduction of lower priced Blu-ray players later this year. Then the question will concern whether or not the cost of devices like the Super Multi Blue Player can come down faster than HD-DVD players and Blu-ray players.

Another issue with the Super Multi Blue Player is that it doesn't come with an HDMI cable which is necessary for connection to an HDTV. Plus the device has the annoying traits of not playing normal CD's or taking full advantage of a lot of the bonus features of HD-DVD's.

While the journalist can be criticized for comparing the Super Multi Blue Player to standard DVD players, he's hit the nail on the head with some of the shortcomings of the actual device.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish Network services and how you can find the best Dish TV Deals.

Problems Exposed In Dual Format High Def DVD Technology

Very few companies get the implementation of new technology completely right the first time around, and LG seems to be no exception with its new Super Multi Blue Player which is designed to play high definition DVD's in both HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats. That's according to a journalist with USA Today.

The Super Multi Blue Player has earned wide spread recognition and praise for this possibility that it could broker a peace between Toshiba, which created the HD-DVD format, and Sony, which created that Blu-ray format. Although both formats are based on similar technology that's able to encode much more data onto a disc than is possible with a standard DVD, the player of one format can't play discs of another format. The result has been a format war that has scared many would be consumers away from buying players of either format because of fear of being left with the losing technology. Because of this fear of buying into a losing technology, the Super Multi Blue Player is a safe bet: no matter which format wins out in the end, the device will be able to play discs in the winning format.

The main problem with the Super Multi Blue Player according to the article is that it costs too much. It's true that with a retail price of almost $1200, many consumers will be scared off from buying it. One of the supporting arguments for why this device costs too much is that it's too far above the price of standard DVD players. The article elaborates by pointing out that the original DVD technology was a much bigger step above VHS video cassette technology than High Def DVD technology is above standard DVD technology. In the end analysis, the article argues, the Super Multi Blue Player simply isn't worth so much more money than a standard DVD player.

While a $1200 price tag may be too steep for many consumers, the journalist seems to be missing the real question. The real question concerning the Super Multi Blue Player's price is whether or not the difference between it and a Blu-ray player or an HD-DVD player is worth the extra peace of mind of the consumer knowing that he or she won't have an obsolete machine when Sony and Toshiba have finally hashed everything out.

One fact that supports the idea that the Super Multi Blue Player may be cost effective is that it still costs less than the option of buying both a Blu-ray and an HD-DVD player separately. But only barely, and the advantage could evaporate with the possible introduction of lower priced Blu-ray players later this year. Then the question will concern whether or not the cost of devices like the Super Multi Blue Player can come down faster than HD-DVD players and Blu-ray players.

Another issue with the Super Multi Blue Player is that it doesn't come with an HDMI cable which is necessary for connection to an HDTV. Plus the device has the annoying traits of not playing normal CD's or taking full advantage of a lot of the bonus features of HD-DVD's.

While the journalist can be criticized for comparing the Super Multi Blue Player to standard DVD players, he's hit the nail on the head with some of the shortcomings of the actual device.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish Network services and how you can find the best Dish TV Deals.

Sales Projections Assume That Both HDTV DVD Technologies Will Survive Format War

Ever since the Blu-ray HDTV DVD format barged into the market right on the heels of Toshiba's introduction of the HD-DVD format the prevailing wisdom in the home entertainment electronics industry has been that only one of these two formats would be able to survive the inevitable format war between them. The inescapable logic of the fact that in order for only one to survive, the other has to perish has led many consumers to put off the purchase of any high def DVD technology at all because of the aversion to being left with obsolete and therefore useless technology.

The possibility of being left with the embarrassment and lost money of having purchased a losing technology is not without precedent. In fact, one of the reasons why consumers have been so reluctant to purchase either an HD-DVD player or a Blu-ray player is because many of them still have memories of the war between the VHS and Betamax video cassette formats back in the early nineteen eighties. Eight track tapes provide another cautionary tale.

There is one fundamental difference between the current high def DVD format war and the video cassette and audio cassette format wars: Betamax was a different size and shape than VHS and eight track tapes were shaped differently from the winning audio cassette format, while the diameter and thickness of Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's are identical. This means that while those warring magnetic tape formats weren't physically capable of being played on the same cassette deck, there's absolutely now reason why you can't at least load Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's into the same drive.

The fact that Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD's have identical dimensions (and dimensions that are identical to CD's and conventional DVD's as well) has prompted some companies to find ways to work around their incompatibilities. For example, Warner Brothers has come up with a way to print a movie in Blu-ray format on one side of a disc and the same movie in HD-DVD format on the other side of the same disc. If this format becomes mainstream, consumers will be able to buy high def DVD's regardless of which type of player they have and without paying any attention to which format they're buying.

LG and Samsung have also come up with a way to work around the incompatibilities by producing a device that can read discs in both formats. These dual disc format high def DVD players cost a little bit more than normal high def DVD players, but take care of all of the compatibility concerns.

These technological developments have prompted the industry to rethink the wisdom that only one format can survive. Rather than assuming that one format will go extinct, many sales projections take into account the possibility that both will be around for a long time. If this is the case it will be because these other technologies that bridge the gap between the two formats have thrived and been embraced by consumers. And as far as Toshiba and Sony go, while neither will dominate the high def DVD market the way they both hoped they would, they should take some solace that neither will end up losing completely either.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish TV services and how you can find the best Dishnet HD Promotions.

Technology Holds Solution to High Def DVD Format War

There have been several different solutions proposed to end the format war between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD DVD high def DVD formats. One possible solution is a disc that has a Blu-ray version of a movie on one side and an HD DVD version of the same movie on the other side. If discs like these became universal then consumers wouldn't have to decide between buying an HD DVD player or a Blu-ray player. Any disc could be used by either player.

Another solution that has been proposed is the possibility that is more of a solution by default as both formats become obsolete. This would be accomplished by the introduction of some new technology that makes DVD's obsolete, and is obviously not an acceptable solution in the view of Sony or Toshiba. One example of a technology that could do this is mass storage of video on portable hard drives. This video would be stored in a highly compressed format on very large drives that could connect to existing home entertainment equipment through the use of USB technology. Consumers would purchase these drives for a reasonable price and then pay for the access codes to watch individual videos on the disk. In effect, this would be much like the kind of video on demand service that satellite TV providers offer right now, only with a lot more videos to choose from and the ability to access any videos that have been unlocked indefinitely.

Another DVD killing technology would be anything that would allow a comprehensive video on demand service. Basically, if it was possible to get virtually any video ever made from the comfort of one's own home- both high def and conventional- there would cease to be any point in producing DVD's. Fortunately for everyone who has an interest in DVD's, such a service is a long way off, as much for legal copyright reasons as technical ones.

Then there's the possibility of HDTV killing technologies. Three Dimensional TV is one potential example of this. But it should be mentioned that there is a prototype Blu-ray player that's supposedly capable of upconverting high def video from Blu-ray discs so that it appears in three dimensions when viewed through goggles or on a 3D HDTV.

Perhaps the best technology that has been implemented so far that could end the format war is the dual format HDTV DVD player. Currently these devices are made by LG and Samsung, and their defining characteristic is that they can both play High Def DVD's in both formats. In other words, anyone who buys one of these devices doesn't have to be concerned about the high def DVD format war because they can play discs in either format. Of course, even if dual format high def DVD players became universal, HD DVD and Blu-ray would still be fighting for greater market share, but that wouldn't really be of any concern to consumers. In fact, consumers would probably benefit from a format war like that because the two sides would hold each others' prices down.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like dual format players will be a real solution because they cost so much. Right now it would be a better use of money to buy both an HD DVD player and a Blu-ray player separately. Hopefully though, this technology will come down in price to the point where it's completely viable.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish TV services and how you can find the best Dishnet TV HD Deals

Lowering Cost of Technology Could be Decisive in HD Disc Format War

As the hold that Sony's Blu-ray high def DVD format has on the market continues to get stronger in the face of opposition from the competing HD-DVD format, there are a number of things that Sony could do in order to secure a sure victory. One of them is lowering the cost of its Blu-ray disc players.

There's a lot of evidence to support the idea that this move would make for a sure victory over HD-DVD. Most of this evidence comes in the form of sales statistics. Right now, despite the fact that Blu-ray players cost roughly twice as much as HD-DVD players, there are just as many Blu-ray disc players in American homes as there are HD-DVD players. When you add in the number of Sony's Play Station 3 video game consoles- which also function as Blu-ray players- the number of Blu-ray players in American homes is significantly higher than the number of HD-DVD players out there. Combine those statistics with the fact that Blu-ray discs have outsold HD-DVD's in the past couple of months by a margin of over two to one, and it becomes pretty obvious that consumers as a whole like the Blu-ray format more than the HD-DVD format.

There are several reasons why the Blu-ray format may be more popular among consumers than the HD-DVD format. The most obvious technical difference is that the Blu-ray format can encode a lot more data onto each disc than the HD-DVD format can. This translates into longer movies and more bonus features that can be included on Blu-ray discs. Since both High Def DVD formats are also optical discs just like DVD's and CD's, there are plenty of computer applications for the technology as well. More data storage capacity translates into being able to deliver more software on each Blu-ray disc than on an HD-DVD disc. Blu-ray is also a better choice for data archiving than HD-DVD. Specifically, the HD-DVD format can only store fifteen gigabytes of data per side of the disc while Blu-ray can store twenty five gigabytes of data per side of the same sized disc! With that kind of a difference, it could be argued that even if HD-DVD was the winner of the format war, it would end up being replaced by something like Blu-ray anyway. Using Blu-ray now, just skips that step.

With the overall popularity of Blu-ray, Sony could secure its win in the format war by lowering the prices of its players. Losses of profits from the players could more than be made up for in coming years by licensing and royalties from having a monopoly on the high def DVD market. Also, as the cost of producing Blu-ray players goes down, Sony will eventually be able to profit on sales of them as well. Unfortunately Sony has been unwilling to make that effort so far, but another company called Funai will force the price of Blu-ray players down by introducing their own Blu-ray players onto the market that will cost around five hundred dollars a piece- a figure much more in line with what HD-DVD players cost.

It's interesting that a little known company could secure a victory in the format war for Sony by doing what Sony has so far refused to do for itself.

E. Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the latest technology news about Cable TV. She has written for many major publications about Cable TV Providers and how buyers can find the best deals.