Bullets over Blu-ray

Get ready for another format war! Microsoft, Toshiba and Intel are backing the HD-DVD standard, while Sony, Dell and Apple support the Blu-ray specification. There will be some overlap in available movies, since a few studios have signed up for both formats.

HD-DVDs hit stores this month, but most should consider the following reasons to wait for Blu-ray:

• Capacity. Blu-ray packs in 25GB per layer, ten more than HD-DVD. This means higher quality video and the ability to adapt to future storage demands.
• Scratch-resistance. Whereas HD-DVD uses the same scratch-prone coating now used on optical media, the coating developed for Blu-ray has purportedly stood up to brutalization via screwdriver.
• Compatibility. Dell and HP are the two biggest PC manufacturers, and Apple is (naturally) the only Mac manufacturer; nominally 40% of computers in the US are sold by Blu-ray backers (not all companies have taken sides yet, and HP intends to support both formats, though a dual-media player does not appear imminent). Furthermore, Blu-ray will run Java, making the development of interactive media much simpler.

HD-DVD is cheaper, but Blu-ray is more innovative and extensible. Both formats will provide appropriate video quality for HDTVs, and both formats will employ onerous copy-protection. So in the long run the difference to most consumers will be minimal. Let’s hope this format war resembles DVD-R vs. DVD+R and not VHS vs. Betamax.