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<p>In the Music Industry, HD DVD is currently exclusively supported by [[EMI]] and non exclusively supported by [[Warner Music Group]]<ref>http://avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=915978&page=3</ref>.</p>
<p>In the Music Industry, HD DVD is currently exclusively supported by [[EMI]] and non exclusively supported by [[Warner Music Group]]<ref>http://avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=915978&page=3</ref>.</p>


HD DVD is currently exclusively backed by several [[porn|adult-movie/pornography]] studios/publishers{{Fact|date=October 2007}}, including [[Wicked Pictures]], [[Pink Visual]], [[Bang Bros]], [[Digital Playground|Digital Playground Inc.]] and [[ClubJenna|ClubJenna Inc.]] (which on [[22 June]] [[2006]] was acquired by [[Playboy Enterprises]]). {{Fact|date=October 2007}} It has been reported (in PCworld, Arstechnica, on CNN, et al) that Blu-ray Disc bans pornography and that this means HD DVD will win the format war by default.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8602.html |title=Adult film industry embracing HD DVD |publisher=ars technica |date=January 12, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-24}}</ref>
HD DVD is currently exclusively backed by several [[porn|adult-movie/pornography]] studios/publishers{{Fact|date=October 2007}}, including [[Wicked Pictures]], [[Pink Visual]], [[Bang Bros]], [[Digital Playground|Digital Playground Inc.]] and [[ClubJenna|ClubJenna Inc.]] (which on [[22 June]] [[2006]] was acquired by [[Playboy Enterprises]]). It has been reported (in PCworld, Arstechnica, on CNN, et al) that Blu-ray Disc bans pornography and that this may have an effect on which format is successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8602.html |title=Adult film industry embracing HD DVD |publisher=ars technica |date=January 12, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-24}}</ref> However, this is inaccurate, as both formats have said they fully support all material, including porn, and have no control over what companies release with their license.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196903070 |title=Sony Denies Preventing Adult Content On Blu-Ray |publisher=InformationWeek |date=January 23, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref>


Beginning July 2007, [[Blockbuster Video]]<ref>[http://blockbuster.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=727 Blockbuster to Expand Blu-Ray to 1,700 Stores],Blockbuster Inc. Press Releases [[2007-06-18]].</ref> will be carrying Blu-ray Disc in 1,450 stores, in addition to the original 250 that carried both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Online they will still be offering both formats.<ref>{{cite web
Beginning July 2007, [[Blockbuster Video]]<ref>[http://blockbuster.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=727 Blockbuster to Expand Blu-Ray to 1,700 Stores],Blockbuster Inc. Press Releases [[2007-06-18]].</ref> will be carrying Blu-ray Disc in 1,450 stores, in addition to the original 250 that carried both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Online they will still be offering both formats.<ref>{{cite web

Revision as of 12:13, 3 October 2007

HD DVD
HD DVD logo
Media typeHigh-density optical disc
EncodingVC-1, H.264, and MPEG-2
Capacity15 GB (single layer) 30 GB (dual layer)
Read mechanism1x@36 Mbit/s & 2x@72 Mbit/s
Developed byDVD Forum
UsageData storage, including high-definition video
Optical discs
General
Optical media types
Standards
See also

HD DVD or High-Definition DVD is a high-density optical disc format designed for the storage of data and high-definition video.

History

The HD (High-Definition) DVD is designed to be the successor to the standard DVD format, and is derived from the same underlying technologies. It can store about 3 1/2 times as much data as its predecessor (Maximum capacity: 30 GB instead of 8.5 GB). A 51 GB triple-layer preliminary spec has been approved. However no movies are currently scheduled to be released on the spec and compatibility with existing players is unknown at this time. The HD DVD standard was jointly developed by Toshiba and NEC.[1] On 19 November 2003, the DVD Forum voted to support HD DVD as the high definition successor of the standard DVD. At this meeting, they also renamed it HD DVD. HD DVD stands for "High Definition Digital Versatile Disc".[2] The format had previously been called the "Advanced Optical Disc" (AOD).

The current specification version for HD DVD-ROM and HD DVD-Rewritable is version 1.0. The specification for HD DVD-R is currently at 0.9; the HD DVD-RAM specification is not yet finalized. The first HD DVD-ROM drives were released in early 2006, and the first HD DVD Recorders were released mid 2007 in Japan.[3]

HD DVD is currently in a format war with rival format Blu-ray Disc.

Technical specifications

Disc structure

HD DVD-ROM has a single-layer capacity of 15 GB, a dual-layer capacity of 30 GB, and a 51 GB single-sided triple-layer disc (which uses slightly bigger 17 GB layers), approved in September 2007 by the DVD Forum. However, the 51 GB spec is only a preliminary spec and compatibility with existing hardware is unknown at this time. HD DVD-R and HD DVD-RW has a single-layer capacity of 15 GB, a dual-layer capacity of 30 GB. The HD DVD-RAM has a single-layer capacity of 20 GB.[4] Like the original DVD format, the data layer of an HD DVD disc is 0.6 mm below the surface physically protecting the data layer from damage. The numerical aperture of the optical pick-up head is 0.65, compared with 0.6 for DVD. All HD DVD players are backward compatible with DVD and CD.

Physical size Single layer capacity Dual layer capacity
12 cm, single sided 15 GB 30 GB
12 cm, double sided 30 GB 60 GB
 8 cm, single sided 4.7 GB 9.4 GB
 8 cm, double sided 9.4 GB 18.8 GB

Hybrid formats

There are two types of hybrid formats which contain standard DVD-Video format video for playback in regular DVD players, and HD DVD video for playback in high definition on HD DVD players. The Combo disc is a dual sided disc with one side DVD and the other HD DVD, each of which can have up to two layers. The Twin disc is a single sided disc that can have up to three layers, with up to two layers dedicated to either DVD or HD DVD.[5] These hybrid discs make retail marketing and shelf space management easier. Another advantage is hardware cross-compatibility. The average consumer doesn't have to worry about whether or not they can play a hybrid DVD disc: any standard home DVD player can access the DVD encoded content and any HD DVD player can access both the DVD and the HD DVD encoded content.

3x DVD

The HD DVD format also applies to current red laser DVDs, which offers a low-cost option for distributors; this type of disc is called "3x DVD", as it is capable of three times the bandwidth of regular DVD-Video.

3x DVDs are physically identical to normal DVDs, thus why the cost is lower for the physical medium. Although 3x DVDs provide the same high definition content, their playback time is less. For instance, on an 8.5 GB DVD you could fit about 85 minutes of 1080p video encoded with VC-1 or AVC at an average bitrate of 13 Mbit/s, suitable for short subjects (training films, home movies), but unsuitable for feature film-length content.

It is technically possible for consumers to create HD DVD compatible discs using low cost DVD-R or DVD+R media. At least one such guide exists.[6]

Continuing development

Although the HD DVD standard is final, engineers continue developing the technology. At the CES 2007, Ritek revealed their high definition optical disc process extended both competing high definition formats to ten layers, increasing capacity to 150 GB for HD DVD, however, the major obstacle is that current reader-writer technology may not support the additional data layers.[7]

File systems

Like previous optical disc formats, HD DVD supports several file systems, like ISO 9660 and Universal Disk Format (UDF). Currently, all HD DVD titles use UDF version 2.5 as the file system.

Audio

HD DVD discs support encoding in up to 24-bit/192 kHz for two channels, or up to eight channels of up to 24-bit/96 kHz encoding.[8] For reference, even new big-budget Hollywood films are mastered in only 24-bit/48 kHz, with 16-bit/48 kHz being common for ordinary films.[citation needed]

All HD DVD players are required to decode linear (uncompressed) PCM, Dolby Digital AC-3, Dolby Digital EX, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD.[9] A secondary soundtrack, if present, can be stored in any of the aforementioned formats, or in one of the HD DVD optional codecs: DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio.

For the highest-fidelity audio experience, HD DVD offers content-producers the choice of linear PCM, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Due to the high-bandwidth requirements of linear-PCM, lossless audio on HD DVD movies has thus far been delivered in the lossless format Dolby True-HD.

Video

The HD DVD format supports a wide variety of resolutions, from low-resolution CIF and SDTV, all video resolutions supported by the DVD-Video standard, and up to HDTV formats such as 720p, 1080i and 1080p.[8] HD DVD supports video encoded in MPEG2 which is what is used in DVDs as well as the new formats VC-1 and AVC which are more efficient. All movie titles released so far have had the feature encoded in 1080p, with most supplements in 480i or 480p. Almost all titles are encoded with VC-1, and most of the remaining titles encoded with AVC.

Digital rights management

Main article: Advanced Access Content System

HD DVD content is protected by the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) a standard for content distribution and digital rights management. It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA), a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Matsushita (Panasonic), Warner Brothers, IBM, Toshiba and Sony. One of the advantages over CSS, the content restriction system for DVDs, is that AACS allows content providers to revoke an individual player device if its cryptographic keys have been compromised (meaning that it will not be able to decrypt subsequently released content). There is no Region Coding in the existing HD DVD specification, which means that titles from any country can be played in players in any other country. This is likely to give the format some advantage in Europe and other places where consumers are now used to using multi-region players to play DVDs purchased in the US or through the extensive grey market.

Since appearing in devices in 2006, several successful attacks have been made on the format. The first known attack relied on the trusted client problem. In addition, decryption keys have been extracted from a weakly protected player (WinDVD). Notably, a Processing Key was found that could be used to decrypt all HD content that had been released at the time.[10] The processing key was widely published on the Internet after it was found and the AACS LA sent multiple DMCA takedown notices in the aim of censoring it.[11] This caused trouble on some sites that rely on user-submitted content, like Digg and Wikipedia, when administrators tried to remove any mentions of the key.[12][13]

Further information: AACS encryption key controversy

AACS has also been circumvented by SlySoft with their program AnyDVD HD, which allows users to watch HD DVD movies on non-HDCP-compliant PC hardware. Slysoft has stated that AnyDVD HD uses several different mechanisms to disable the encryption, and is not dependent on the use of a single compromised encryption key.[14]

Interactive content

HD DVDs use the HDi Interactive Format to allow interactive content to be authored for discs. HDi is based on web technologies such as HTML, XML, CSS, SMIL, and ECMAScript (JavaScript), so authoring in HDi should be a fairly easy transition for web developers. No existing DVD authoring experience is required. In contrast, Blu-ray Disc content is authored using either a scripting environment for basic content, or a Java-based platform (BD-J) for advanced content. DVD video discs utilize pre-rendered MPEG segments, selectable subtitle pictures, and simple programmatic navigation which is considerably more primitive.

Hardware

Compatibility

Backward compatibility will be available with all HD DVD players, allowing users to have a single player in their homes to play all types of HD DVD, DVD and CD discs. There is also a hybrid HD DVD format which contains both DVD and HD DVD versions of the same movie on a single disc, providing smoother transition for the studios in terms of publishing movies, and letting consumers with only DVD drives still use the discs. DVD disc replication companies can continue using their current production equipment with only minor alterations when changing over to the format of HD DVD replication. Due to the structure of the single-lens optical head, both red and blue laser diodes can be used in smaller, more compact HD DVD players.

HD DVD standalone players

On 31 March 2006, Toshiba released their first HD DVD player in Japan at ¥110,000 (US$934).[15] HD DVD was released in United States on 18 April 2006,[16] with players priced at $499 and $799.

On April 18 2006, Toshiba released the first HD DVD players for the United States, the Toshiba HD-A1 and Toshiba HD-XA1. Both players sold out within days of their release. [citation needed] The HD-A1 was also rebranded by RCA and sold as the HDV5000.

During the fourth quarter of 2006, Toshiba began releasing its second generation HD DVD players for the U.S. The HD-A2 was released in early December for $499.99; the HD-XA2 was released in late December for $999.99. The high-end model, the HD-XA2, features HDMI 1.3 and 1080p output.[17] As of August 2007 the MSRP is $299 for the HD-A2 and $799 for the HD-XA2.

On January 7 2007, at CES, Toshiba announced the HD-A20 which includes many of the features of the Toshiba HD-XA2 including 1080p output. It has a retail price of $499.[18]

In December 2006, Toshiba reported that roughly 120,000 Toshiba branded HD DVD players have been sold in the U.S. along with 150,000 units coming in the form of HD DVD upgrade kits for the Xbox 360.[19]

As of 18 April 2007, (on the first “birthday” of HD DVD),[20] the HD DVD camp reported that they had sold 100,000 dedicated HD DVD units in the U.S. alone, (that is standalone players only, it does not include any computers with HD DVD drives or Xbox 360 add-ons drives—the latter was reported to have sold 92,000 units during the Christmas holiday season alone).[21]

On August 6, 2007 Toshiba announced several upcoming third generation players:[22]

  • HD-A3 ($299.99, October 2007)
  • HD-A30 ($399.99, September 2007)
  • HD-A35 ($499.99, October 2007)

On August 9, 2007 Onkyo announced its first HD DVD player, the DV-HD805. It is one of the first high-end HD DVD players to take advantage of high-bit-rate audio streaming via HDMI version 1.3a. It will go on sale in the fall of 2007 at a suggested retail price of $899.[citation needed]

On August 28, 2007 Venturer Electronics published an announcement of its HD DVD player, the SHD7000 (for a suggested price at groundbreaking $199[23]) to be released during the holiday season of 2007. [24]

Toshiba has claimed that all existing and future players should be compatible with the 51 GB disc triple layer disc that was added to the standard in September 2007. [25]

Portable players

Toshiba is expected to reveal the first portable HD DVD player at the 2008 CES show.[citation needed]

Universal (HD DVD + Blu-ray Disc) standalone combo players

Universal (HD DVD + Blu-ray) standalone set-top players, so called Duo/Dual HD player (also referred to as "hybrid", "combo", or "family-room" HD players).

File:Vidabox max.jpg
VidaBox MAX Dual Blu-ray Disc+HD DVD System

On October 18 2006, VidaBox announced the first home theater PC capable of playing back both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD disc formats. The VidaBox MAX and VidaBox LUX can have both drives upgraded to play both high-definition formats up to their native 1080p resolutions at 24-bit color.[26]

On January 7 2007, LG Electronics announced the release of the BH-100, the first player to market able to play movies from both High Definition Formats. However, It is not able to utilize the interactive menus and features HDi of the HD DVD format. LG's suggested retail price is US$1,199.[27]In mid october 2007 LG is scheduled to release the follow up to the BH100, the BH200 which unlike its predecessor will have full support for both Formats and be released at a price of $999.[28]

On April 13 2007, Samsung Group announced their BD-UP5000 Duo HD player, a hybrid Blu-ray and HD DVD standalone set-top player. No detailed specifications for the player have been released and the suggested retail price is unknown. It will fully support both Blu-ray and HD DVD disc formats and their interactive technologies, BD-Java and HDi. This is the first player announced that fully supports the specs of both formats.[29] This item has been delayed until december 2007. That means in addition to playing HD DVD it must be at least Blu Ray profile 1.1 compliant.

Computer drives

On May 16 2006, Toshiba released its first PC with a HD DVD-ROM drive, the Toshiba Qosmio 35. There are also a number of laptops and desktops from Hewlett Packard (HP), Acer, Samsung, LG Electronics (LGE), Fujitsu and others equipped with HD DVD drives. All desktop systems so far use the NEC HR-1100A HD DVD-ROM, which is for OEM usage only.

Buffalo Technology announced on October 10 2006 the first HD DVD-ROM drive for retail purchase, the HDV-ROM2.4FB (dual-layer read-only, 2.4x HD DVD read performance), with a suggested retail price of US$320; it comes bundled with CyberLink's PowerDVD HD DVD Edition. On January 8 2007, at CES, LG Electronics (LGE) announced the GGW-H10N SATA 5.25" half-height combo drive for computers,[30] which is a hybrid HD DVD and Blu-ray drive that can read both blue-laser formats, but only writes to Blu-ray or standard DVDs and CDs blank media. The LG GGW-H10N drive is set to be released before the end of January 2007 and will retail for a suggested retail price of US$1200.

On January 29 2007, Microsoft released Windows Vista which supports the HD DVD format, including DRM requirements for playing back commercial content. The Windows Vista platform is expected to play an increasing part in HD content consumption, particularly in its Windows Media Center and laptop variants.[citation needed] Microsoft's Xbox 360 add-on external HD DVD drive can be connected to a PC via USB 2.0. The Xbox 360 external HD DVD add-on drive is retailing for $179 as of August 1 2007 (U.S. only), making it the least expensive standalone drive for computers. Consumers who purchase the HD DVD add-on drive between August 1 2007 and September 30 2007 can choose five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15 titles via a mail-in offer from Toshiba.

The Toshiba Qosmio G45 and Satellite X200 laptops have a built in HD DVD-R Drive and also optional for the HP Pavilion dv9500t series notebook, able to burn HD DVD-R discs from 15GB single-layer up to 30GB dual-layer discs.

Xbox 360

Released at the end of November 2006, the Microsoft HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 game-console gives the Xbox 360 the ability to play HD DVD movies. The drive was announced with an MSRP of US$199, and includes Peter Jackson's King Kong on HD DVD along with a USB 2.0 cable for connection to the console. Many view the HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360 as Microsoft's response to Sony's PlayStation 3 game-console, which plays competing Blu-ray Disc movies out of the box.

Xbox 360 HD DVD

The original Xbox 360 Core and Premium bundles did not offer HDMI/DVI-D outputs. In April 2007, Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 Elite, which includes an HDMI 1.2 output port (and larger hard-drive). HD DVD Video output at the highest supported resolution (1080p) requires a display with HDMI-input. For audio output, the Xbox 360 is limited compared to standalone players—the analog stereo-audio jack outputs a Pro-logic compatible downmix of the movie's audiotrack. The TOSLINK (S/PDIF) jack offers more choice: 2-channel LPCM 48 kHz/16-bit stereo (Pro-logic compatible), Dolby Digital (AC-3) @ 640 kbit/s, DTS @ 1500 kbit/s, or WMA Pro @ 1500 kbit/s. The console handles transcoding, if necessary, so a movie soundtrack of any type (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby DD+/AC-3, DTS, LPCM) will be output in the selected format. The HDMI-output on Xbox 360 Elite does not support multichannel LPCM—the Elite is limited to the same output choices as the non-HDMI 360 models.

The Xbox 360's add-on HD DVD drive can also be used with a desktop/laptop PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista. Although PC use is not officially supported, third-party player software can successfully play HD DVD movies using the add-on drive. A number of users buy the HD DVD add-on drive to use exclusively with their PCs because of the cheap price when compared to HD DVD drives made for PCs. For best experience, HD DVD player software requires a modern PC, with a DirectX 9 graphics adapter and dual-core or fast CPU. If the video is output to a DVI/HDMI port, then both the display and graphics processing unit must be HDCP-compliant.

The Xbox 360's add-on HD DVD is recognized on Macintosh computers running Mac OS 10.4, but support for UDF 2.5 does not exist for the platform. Standard DVDs and CDs can be read with the drive, but not HD DVDs. The beta version of Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard" includes Apple's UDF 2.5 driver.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive is sold at retailers in the white color of the Xbox 360 Core/Premium. No announcements have been made by Microsoft to release this product in other colors to the general public.

Release titles

The first HD DVD titles released on April 18 2006 were The Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, The Phantom of the Opera by Warner Home Video; and Serenity by Universal Studios.[31] As of October 2 2007, 305 titles have been released in the USA.[32] As of 15 September 2007, 133 HD DVD titles has been released in Japan, while 21 titles pending to be released.[33]

The first independent HD film released on HD DVD was One Six Right.[34][35]

Corporate and industry support

HD DVD Promotion Group Member List contains the main promoters of HD DVD, namely Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, Microsoft, RCA, Kenwood, Intel, and Memory-Tech Corporation. The HD DVD format is also non-exclusively supported by Acer, HP, Hitachi Maxell, LG, Lite On, Onkyo, Meridian, Samsung,[36] and Alpine.

In terms of major studios in North America, HD DVD is currently exclusively backed by Universal Studios (including subsidiaries Focus Features and Rogue Pictures), Paramount Pictures (including Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies, MTV Films, DreamWorks Pictures and DreamWorks Animation), The Weinstein Company (including Dimension Films), and First Look Studios.

The format is non-exclusively backed by Warner Bros. Pictures (it should be noted that a number of Warner's titles—Batman Begins, Constantine, Troy (excluding Troy: Director's Cut), V for Vendetta, The Perfect Storm, Poseidon, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Trilogy—are HD DVD exclusive at the present), New Line Cinema (it should be noted that some of New Line Cinema titles, the first being Hairspray, are announced as Blu-ray exclusive for limited time due to lack of region coding in HD DVD[37] [38] [39]. All catalog titles will be released simultaneously in both formats), HBO, and Image Entertainment (including the Discovery Channel),[40] Magnolia Pictures,[41] Brentwood Home Video, Ryko, Koch/Goldhil Entertainment.[42]

In Europe HD DVD is currently supported either exclusively or non-exclusively by Medusa Home Entertainment, Studio Canal, Universum Films, Kinowelt Home Entertainment, DVD International, Opus Arte, MK2, Momentum Pictures, Twister Home Video, and many others [43]. Many titles that are Blu-ray exclusive in the United States are released on HD DVD in Europe, and can be played on any US player due to the absence of region coding on HD DVD[44]. Likewise, movies that are HD DVD exclusive in the United States are released in either exclusive to a format or released to both formats in other region, to be made easier because some of region-coded discs are actually region-free[45]. For example, Universal's Bruce Almighty, an European exclusive to Blu-ray, is compatible to region A player.

In the Music Industry, HD DVD is currently exclusively supported by EMI and non exclusively supported by Warner Music Group[46].

HD DVD is currently exclusively backed by several adult-movie/pornography studios/publishers[citation needed], including Wicked Pictures, Pink Visual, Bang Bros, Digital Playground Inc. and ClubJenna Inc. (which on 22 June 2006 was acquired by Playboy Enterprises). It has been reported (in PCworld, Arstechnica, on CNN, et al) that Blu-ray Disc bans pornography and that this may have an effect on which format is successful.[47] However, this is inaccurate, as both formats have said they fully support all material, including porn, and have no control over what companies release with their license.[48]

Beginning July 2007, Blockbuster Video[49] will be carrying Blu-ray Disc in 1,450 stores, in addition to the original 250 that carried both HD DVD and Blu-ray. Online they will still be offering both formats.[50] Blockbuster will continue to offer both formats at its initial 250 stores that currently carry both high-definition formats.[51]

On August 20, 2007, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation announced their exclusive support for the HD DVD format citing its cost benefits and superior features. However, in contrast to this the New York Times reported, citing two Viacom executives that a payoff had occurred for a sum of $150 million for a period of 18 months exclusivity. Paramount has neither denied or confirmed this, however Paramount's CTO Alan Bell said it was an indefinite commitment. Both Microsoft and Toshiba have denied that such a payoff occurred. Films directed by Steven Spielberg are excluded from this announcement as he controls the rights to his own works.[52]

Hybrid player technology

NEC,[53] Broadcom,[54] Horizon Semiconductors, and STMicroelectronics[54] have separately developed a single chip/laser that can read both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray disc standard. Broadcom and STMicroelectronics will be selling their dual-format single chip/laser solution to any OEM willing to develop a product based on the chip.

Hybrid discs

On the media disc side, Warner Bros. officially announced Total Hi Def (THD) at CES 2007. Total Hi Def (Total HD) hybrid discs supports both HD DVD and Blu-ray, HD DVD on one side (up to two layers) and Blu-ray on the other side (up to two layers). Despite initially announcing that Total HD would be ready by the second half of 2007, on June 27 2007, Warner Bros. issued a press release stating that they would be delaying the launch of Total HD discs until early 2008. As of September 2007, no specific titles have yet been announced.

HD DVD / Blu-ray disc comparison

Main article: Comparison of high definition optical disc formats

The primary rival to HD DVD is Blu-ray Disc. Currently, Blu-ray has the advantage in maximum disc capacity, but in September 2007 the DVD Forum approved the triple layer 51GB HD DVD-ROM disc. Titles using the 51 GB HD DVD discs have yet to be released as its a preliminary specification and compatibility with existing players is unknown at this time. The first 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray Disc release[citation needed] was movie Click, on October 10 2006, several months after the Blu-ray Disc format was released. As of September 2007 40% of Blu-ray titles use the 50 GB disc and 60% use the 25 GB disc[55] while almost all HD DVD movies are in the 30 GB dual layer format.[56]

In terms of audio/video compression, HD DVD and Blu-ray are similar on the surface: both support MPEG-2, VC-1, and H.264 for video compression. Virtually every HD DVD released uses an advanced codec (VC-1 or H.264) for video compression, reducing the required space for equivalent quality video. The first generation of Blu-ray Disc movies however used the older and less efficient video codec MPEG-2, and many new titles still do. In terms of audio, there are many differences. With HD DVD support for the new Dolby Digital Plus audio codec is mandatory at 3.0 Mbit/s, but for Blu-ray players it is optional at 1.7 Mbit/s.[9] Furthermore HD DVD players must be able to decode the new lossless audio codec Dolby True HD, but this is optional for Blu-ray players.

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc support the 24p (traditional movie) frame rate, but technical implementations of this mode are different among the two formats. Blu-ray Disc supports 24p with its native timing, while HD DVD uses 60i timing for 24p (encoded progressively, replacing missing fields with "repeat field flags"). Decoders can ignore the “flags” to output 24p.[57] There is no impact on picture resolution or storage space as a result of this, as the HD DVD format uses the exact same video information—it simply adds notational overhead.

Template:HighDefMediaComparison

HD DVD / Blu-ray Disc "format war"

HD DVD is currently in a "format war" with rival format Blu-ray Disc, to determine which of the two formats will become the leading carrier for high-definition content to consumers.

See also

Alternative disc technologies

References

  1. ^ "High Definition-capable DVD". 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  2. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions" (Flash). The Look and Sound of Perfect. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  3. ^ "Toshiba's RD-A1 HD DVD recorder with 1TB disk". engadget. June 22, 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  4. ^ Disk lineup HD DVD Promotion Group
  5. ^ "New disc supports high capacities of both standard DVD and HD DVD on a single disc". Toshiba. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  6. ^ Clark, Joseph (2006-07-30). "The Official AVS Guide to HD DVD Authoring". AV Science Forum. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  7. ^ Yam, Marcus (2007-01-10). "Three HD Layers Today, Ten Tomorrow". DailyTech. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  8. ^ a b "Requirements Specification for HD DVD Video Application" (PDF). Version 1.0. July 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-27. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ a b Dressler, Roger. "Dolby Audio Coding for Future Entertainment Formats" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Press Messages: AACS - Advanced Access Content System". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  11. ^ "AACS licensor complains of posted key". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  12. ^ Boutin, Paul (2007-05-01). "Wikipedia Locks Out "The Number"". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  13. ^ Greenberg, Andy (2007-05-02). "Digg's DRM Revolt". Forbes. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  14. ^ "peer" (2007-02-13). "Device key revokation". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  15. ^ "Toshiba HD DVD Player: First Release In Japan".
  16. ^ Netherby, Jennifer (2006-04-13). "HD DVD set to launch quietly". Video Business. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Toshiba announces introduction of second generation HD DVD players". Toshiba. September 14, 2006.
  18. ^ "TOSHIBA DELIVERS SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF SECOND GENERATION HD DVD PLAYERS". Toshiba. January 7, 2007.
  19. ^ "HD DVD sales".
  20. ^ Netherby, Jennifer (2006-04-13). "HD DVD set to launch quietly". Video Business. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "100,000 HD DVD CE players sold in the U.S. during the first year (April 17, 2007)".
  22. ^ http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/2007/08/toshiba_to_debu.php
  23. ^ "High-Def Digest reports that Venturer Electronics aiming for a $199-release on their new HD DVD-stand alone player". Venturer Electronics. August 29, 2007.
  24. ^ "Venturer Electronics SHD7000 HD DVD player announcement". Alco Electronics. August 28, 2007.
  25. ^ Toshiba confirms 51GB disc works with players
  26. ^ "VidaBox Introduces World's First Dual HD DVD & Blu-Ray Player / Media Center". 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
  27. ^ "LG BH100 Combo Drive". 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  28. ^ "LG BH200 Combo Drive". 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  29. ^ "Samsung BD-UP5000 Combo Drive". 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  30. ^ "LG's hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD standalone drive coming soon".
  31. ^ "Uni delivers Serenity to HD DVD. Sci-fi adventure first from studio on high-def format on April 18".
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  39. ^ "New Line Jumps Into High-Def with 'Hairspray' on Blu-ray; HD DVD to Follow in 2008".
  40. ^ "Discovery Channel Brings 'Atlas' to Blu-ray, HD DVD".
  41. ^ "Psst! Magnolia Jumps Into Blu-ray with 'Bubble'".
  42. ^ "'Chronos' HD DVD Gets New Distributor; Blu-ray Version on the Way".
  43. ^ http://avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=915978&page=3
  44. ^ "Blu-ray titles available on HD DVD in Europe".
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  48. ^ "Sony Denies Preventing Adult Content On Blu-Ray". InformationWeek. January 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  49. ^ Blockbuster to Expand Blu-Ray to 1,700 Stores,Blockbuster Inc. Press Releases 2007-06-18.
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  53. ^ "NEC unveils chip to bridge Blu-ray/HD DVD divide".
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  55. ^ Blu-ray stats
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  57. ^ "High Definition Facts". Retrieved 2006-12-01.
  58. ^ Perton, Marc (2006-04-13). "Early HD DVD flicks to be 1080p". Engadget. Retrieved 2007-04-09.

News

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