Payton H. Wilmott, Gleaner Writer
The winning format for the next generation of DVDs is over and while the dust clears, it is Blu-ray that has emerged on top. For those who didn't know, there was an ongoing debate about which format would replace standard DVDs and the two leading competitors were HD DVD and Blu-ray.
But recently, Toshiba the leading partner in the HD DVD camp has announced that they would stop production of HD DVD players and recorders, which officially signal the death of HD DVD. Looking back, the tipping point came when Warner Bros. decided to join Sony Pictures Entertainment (Sony is the leading partner in the Blu-ray camp), MGM, Disney, 20th Century Fox, New Line Cinema and Lionsgate, by defecting to the Blu-ray camp, resulting in an estimated three- quarters of new film releases being available exclusively on Blu-ray.
What followed was to some extent inevitable. Blockbuster, Netflix and Wal-Mart all dropped support for HD DVD and Best Buy also said it would favour Blu-ray. You may be asking what does all this have to do with you, the consumer? Well, these points are just some of the affects that consumers may face.
"Blu-ray wins. The cheapest Blu-ray player out now is the Sony Playstation 3. "Persons owning a HD DVD player/recorder will soon need to throw it out for a Blu-ray player/recorder. "Prices for Blu-ray players/recorders, and discs may soon be affordable to the general public. "It would be wise to choose a Blu-Ray player/recorder if you are going to get a high definition player or recorder.Conclusion
The technical and commercial superiority of each format (HD DVD and Blu-ray) is likely to be debated for years. But the fact remains that Blu-ray will be the disc format for the future.The products mentioned in this article were provided courtesy of Royale Computer and Accessories.
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