The war is on. Earlier this year signs indicated Blu-ray had the edge of sales by as much as 70/30, but as of this week Blu-ray only leads by 54/46. Essentially the technologies have similar advantages (see CNET’s HD vs Blu-ray comparison), with Blu-ray having the advantage only in capacity. For example, both offer image clarity up to 1080p via HDMI and both support Dolby Digital. The differences may be what helps the consumer make a choice:
- Manufacturer Support of HD: Toshiba, Onkyo, Samsung vs. Manufacturer Support of Blu-ray: Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips
- Manufacturer Support of BOTH: LG, Thomson/RCA
- Studio Support of HD: Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, Weinstein Company, DreamWorks vs. Support of Blu-ray: Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Lions Gate
- Studio Support of BOTH: Warner
- Game Console Support of HD: Xbox 360 vs. Support of Blu-ray: PlayStation 3
Pricing may be the issue which makes the deciding factor… Right now HD DVD players are $300+ while Blu-ray DVD players are $500+. Movie prices are similar and by the end of 2007 it is projected that HD DVD will have about 330 movie titles while Blu-ray DVD will have 360 titles.
So which will you choose? I went with HD for the price, although it may become necessary to purchase a combo-player down the road. Circuit City also offered a 5-free HD DVD offer for new HD DVD player purchases, so I am well on my way to my new HD collection: Heroes Season 1, Evan Almighty, Transformers, and 5 others that I’m waiting for from Toshiba. Not a bad start for just a couple weeks. C’mon onboard and support the high definition viewing experience!!!
2 users commented in " HD vs. Blu-ray "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackBlu-Ray better drop their player prices fast!!! HD has the better name and the much better price. I can see myself buying a $300 player for Christmas, but not a $500 one.
By the way, what are the costs of movie disks in both formats?
Most “new” HD and Blu-ray movies are running around the $30 price, with some exceptions. I found an Evan Almighty duo-pack, which came with both an HD DVD and a standard DVD disc for only $35. Considering I lend a lot of my movies out to friends, this was a great deal for me. I also noticed some older movies at good prices at Amazon.com — For example, Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy are being offered right now for $25.
Personally I have been surprised by Blu-rays strong support in the manufacturer realm, but it’s essentially a dead-even split in the studio arena. It would make the “war” really exciting to see someone like Warner select one side or the other.