Computersight -

DVD discs won’t be forever. You can already buy HD-DVD and “blu-ray ” discs. They offer you many space, but they don’t get along.

Demand for big capacity discs is big and is becoming bigger. It’s hard to believe, that many years ago, newest games were about 2MB. They were replaced by CDs. CD has about 800 MB. Today CDs are replaced by DVDs, which has 4,7-8,5 GB capacity. But this is still not enough space for good quality movies. That’s why “Blu-ray” and HD-DVD were created. They have more than 10 GB free space!

What’s new in blue laser?

Discs were writhed by red laser. New discs need blue laser. Red laser is 650 nm, blue laser is 405 nm. That means, in same size disc you can accommodate more data.

Advantages and disadvantages

Biggest HD-DVD and “Blu-ray” advantage is their capacity. That means, you can put a HDTV quality movie in to those discs. Double-layers have even more capacity. But you need a HD television to watch HDTV. They show in 1280×720 and more. And they also cost much money.

Pirates

New discs have better protection from illegal copying. “Blu-ray” and HD-DVD use the same protection AACS (Advanced Access Content System). This system is always updating, that’s why it is very hard to crack it. But there already is pirate software, which cracks AACS. Once again is proved, that there is no such thing as a trusted protection.

Which disc is better?

The big fight is just starting. Both formats have movie studios and famous companies. Biggest HD-DVD advantage is its cheaper production and making time (HD-DVD 3,5 s, “Blu-ray” 5 s). But “Blu-ray” has better technology: discs have more capacity.

Which to choose?

Nobody knows. “Sony” has placed “Blu-ray” into “Playstation 3”, but “Microsoft” for “XBOX 360” users offers to buy a HD-DVD. The winner will be the one, who will offer more movies and games.

Movie studios also work only for one format. That doesn’t make our life easier. Imagine, we have a “Blu-ray” player, but your wanted movie is on HD-DVD. What to do? A very good solution will be to buy a player, which supports both formats. It will cost more, but we will able to watch all movies.