Which Is More Consumer Friendly: HD DVD or Blu-Ray?
No, this is not the standard HD DVD vs. Blu-ray article that you may be used to reading. I am not declaring a "winner" because I think we are at a point now where neither camp is going away. Instead, this article explains which format I believe is the better choice for the consumer (you) this holiday season. Could that change a year from now? Sure, but I want to help you decide what to buy this year.
This article is not written in an attempt to convince anyone who has already made an investment one way or the other, for that is an almost impossible feat. It was written for those that are still "on the fence", as they say. It is for those who are either undecided, or are waiting to see which one will come out ahead (or which will be first to waive the white flag). It's time to hop down off of that fence.
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Why HD DVD?
My reasoning below is not based on which format has higher bitrate or more capacity, nor is it based on which one has more studios in its pocket, or more titles on the shelves ... as all those are about equal when you're looking at the screen. The reason I am recommending HD DVD is for the benefit to the consumer ... you.
- Standardization - No matter what player you buy, it will play all HD DVD titles with full features. Since HD DVD players began shipping, they have had one standard set of requirements for their players. 100% of the HD DVD players on the market today must support a minimum set of features. I've listed below some of the features that are guaranteed to be on all HD DVD players, but might not be on all Blu-ray players:
- Support of Dolby Digital Plus
- Support of Dolby TrueHD
- 2nd video decoder
- 2nd audio decoder
- Internet support (network connection)
- Region Free
- Less Copy Protection - The HD DVD specification requires no copyright enforcement. The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is mandatory for Blu-ray and optional for HD DVD, although many studios are using it. Blu-ray also includes additional content protection schemes such as BD+ and ROM-Mark watermarking. Each of these layers of protection add a level of complexity to the players and increased production and licensing costs of both players and media. It has also been reported by High-Def Digest that additional copy protection may result in more lengthy load times.
- Features & Interactivity - I've never been one to make use of the "Extras" on standard DVDs. Well, maybe the deleted scenes and out-takes, but that's it. With HD DVD, I find myself actually looking at these features before I buy a movie to see if there's anything original. This is a highly subjective point, but my argument here is that the consumer benefits by having these features and interactivity available to them, should they happen to enjoy them.
- Internet Updating - To date, the only Blu-ray player that can update its software/firmware via network connection is the Sony Playstation 3.Editorial Note: It was pointed out to me that the Samsung BDP-1400 can also update via network connection. I apologize for the oversight (11/27, 12:01am EST)
Other Blu-ray players require you to either order a DVD with the update or download and burn your own update DVD. Sony's BDP-S300 recently had a firmware release and I was attempting to help someone on our forums download and install it. I checked the page and there were about 25 steps to follow to get it updated, along with another dozen or so "Important Notes" of things to make sure you do (or not do) when updating ... not very consumer friendly.
- Better Price - I mention this last because I want to stress that there are a lot of other reasons to choose HD DVD than just the price, but it can't be ignored. With street prices of Blu-ray players around $357 ($499 MSRP) and street prices of HD DVD players around $169 ($299 MSRP) ... it's just icing on the cake. HD DVD players have even sold as low as $99 this month in various sales at retailers like Wal-mart and Best Buy.
From the That's-Not-Quite-True Department
There are a lot of "facts" and figures that get thrown around whenever someone sticks their neck out in favor of one format or another. In this case, those that have already invested in Blu-ray may throw up some strongly-worded arguments to my recommendation. Let me attempt to disarm some of them by stating below some things you're likely to hear/read, and why they're "Not Quite True":
- Blu-ray has more studio support than HD DVD - Of the six big movie studios in North America, three of them are Blu-ray exclusive, two of them are HD DVD exclusive, and one (Warner Bros) is producing in both formats. But what we're really talking about here is the number of titles available, not the number of studios supporting it. According to Wikipedia, as of October 31st, 2007, 332 titles are available in the US on Blu-ray and 328 on HD DVD3. And as of November 6th, 2007, Netflix has 378 Blu-ray titles and 345 HD DVD titles. Sounds about even. That being said, you also must take into account whether there are titles available from only one format that you must have. That alone can make all other advantages of one format over the other irrelevant.
- Blu-ray has more manufacturer support than HD DVD - This one is true, but I include it for what it means. Usually, more manufacturers mean more competition, which leads to lower prices. HD DVD is far less expensive than Blu-ray, so what good are all those manufacturers doing for the Blu-ray format?
- Blu-ray has higher capacity/bitrate than HD DVD - I'll give you that. Blu-ray players currently support discs with a capacity of up to 50GB while HD DVD is limited to 30GB (although 51GB HD DVDs were recently approved). Also, Blu-ray bitrates can run to 54Mbit/s while HD DVD is limited to 36Mbit/s. That being said, show me how that makes a difference with a side-by-side comparison of picture quality. I doubt it's $200 better from any consumer's point of view, and that is the guiding principle of my recommendation.
- Blu-ray can do all that added feature and interactivity stuff too - Yes, but only certain players can support it, and only certain disks have it. It should not be up to the consumer to keep track of whether a player can take advantage of a specific feature they see on the back of the package ... they should know it's supported regardless of their player.
- Target went Blu-ray exclusive, the end is near - Actually, Target just bought an end-cap. A quick check in their online store shows that they are selling both the Toshiba HDA30 and the new Venturer HD DVD player. Also, since when is Target a bellwether in retail consumer electronics?
- Blockbuster went Blu-ray exclusive, the end is near - Again, Blockbuster's announcement was not quite that far reaching. The Blu-ray exclusivity is limited to about 87% of their stores, and they are still making HD DVD available via online rental. Also, Blockbuster later issued a press release that indicated that they would continue to stock more HD DVDs in their stores as demand increases.
- Paramount got paid $150 million for HD DVD support - True, but let's not pretend money is not changing hands all over the place in this contest. It's business, and that's how business is done. I hardly think this is a reason to dislike HD DVD.
- HD DVDs scratch more easily because they don't have the hard coating that Blu-ray has - Blu-ray does utilize a hard coating on the surface of their media that resists scratches. This had to be done because the data layer in a Blu-ray disc is so much closer to the surface than in HD DVD. Regardless, this does not mean that HD DVD's are more susceptible to scratching and damage. I contacted a popular online rental company and asked them about damage reports and disc durability of the two formats. According to them, there is no appreciable difference in the number of returns for either format.
Conclusion
I'll restate what I've said above, but without all the detail. Here is why I believe HD DVD is the best choice for the consumer this holiday season:
- All HD DVD players are standard, and you can feel confident that you will not have any issues playing back any HD DVD title on any HD DVD player.
- Since all HD DVD players are internet-capable, any updates that you may have to do to your player can be done without complicated downloads, DVD burns and upgrade routines.
- HD DVD is region-free, meaning that no matter in which country you buy your HD DVD, it will play in your player.
- HD DVD media has less copy protection. Less copy protection means faster disc load times.
- Sale prices for HD DVD players this holiday are around $100-$200, much more consumer- (and wallet-) friendly than sale prices for Blu-ray players, which are around $400.
I expect (dare I say hope) that this will generate a lot of conversation. It remains to be seen how much of it will be in opposition to the recommendation I'm making. I will close this article with a recent quote that I came across that seems to be quite apropos: