Blu-ray Vs. HD DVD

Watching movies is something that nearly everyone enjoys doing. If it's not going to the movie theater, then it's a night in, resting on the couch with friends or just yourself watching a good movie. With the advances in video technology, movies can now be viewed in ways that no one ever thought possible. With the release of high definition televisions, followed by the Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, people found themselves in a world of decision making. With two viewing technological systems available, people questioned a lot the argument that is Blu-ray vs. HD DVD.

When the DVD was created in the mid 1990s, their sole purpose was to replace the VHS, and that was successfully done. As technology goes, it's an always growing aspect of our society, so it was to no surprise that HD DVD and Blu-ray discs were invented to replace your average DVD disc. The sole purpose of having an HD DVD and Blu-ray disc was to give the movie a person watching a more crisp, clear, life-like display of the movie being watched. Of course, the only way these players and discs would work properly is if a person had a HD television, which most televisions are now. These televisions are built with more pixels and other devices that allow the picture being viewed to appear as clear as could possibly be imagined. A person knows when they are watching a HD television when they feel that the movie that they are watching looks too real to be the actual movie. But on the contrary, that is the point of this technology. The Blu-ray and HD DVD were developed to support this technology for the movies that people bought for their entertainment at home, and to have this same experience with their favorite movies. With Blu-ray and HD DVD as an option for viewers to watch their movies, questions begin to arise, creating the argument, Blu-ray vs. HD DVD.

HD DVD was created originally to replace the DVD disc, but within just a short while after the creation of the HD DVD, the Blu-ray disc was created. The technology of both of these discs were to create a high definition viewing option that would be available to people in order to view their movies in the best possible format. However, the difference wasn't so much how they were made, or how they worked, but was the options that were available with each of them. The HD DVD disc was created with high definition technology that allowed it to hold more information, meaning more special features, more commentaries, and more interactive options. However, the interactive abilities were limited, which wasn't so much of a big deal for people. How the disc was read while in a HD DVD player was through a system that used a blue laser, which was also used by a Blu-ray disc. The blue laser technology was responsible for allowing more information to be stored on the discs, which is what allowed for more expansive use of the disc. Just shortly after the release of the Blu-ray disc, the movie industry was seriously taken aback by what a Blu-ray disc could do. The picture was ultimately better than that of a HD DVD disc, and the interactive options were far more impressive and expansive than it's rival.

The Blu-ray vs. HD DVD arguements began with companies heavily associated within the movie industry. The HD DVD disc was able to hold 30GB of information, while the Blu-ray disc was able to hold 50GB. For example, a person while watching a Blu-ray movie can also pull up an interactive menu and select an option, such as a director explaining the exact scene that is being currently by the viewer. These interactive options were not available with HD DVDs, and the visual clarity was also much better than HD DVD. Because of this, many movie companies began to stop producing their movies in HD DVD and went over to Blu-ray. The last HD DVD movie that was released was back in 2008. Those movie production companies that weren't on board with Blu-ray from the beginning didn't take long to get aboard and join in. This serious lack of support completely annihalated HD DVD sales to the point where now a person cannot find an HD DVD movie on the shelves in stores. There are some computers that will make their disc drives HD DVD drives, but they too are beginning to fall out of existence.

In reviewing the debate and question of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, the clear choice wasn't even made by the people, but the manufacturers and movie industries made that decision for us. With lack of support, and it's lack of technological abilities, the HD DVD became no more. People aren't able to buy an HD DVD on the shelves if they wanted to, but most don't when they see how enjoyable a Blu-ray disc is.