 The format wars could create customer confusion |
The first Blu-ray DVD discs have been released in the US ahead of the launch of the first Blu-ray player on 25 June. The move marks the start of a Sony-led campaign in the next generation DVD format wars against the Toshiba-led HD DVD system.
The battle to win consumers began in March 2006 when Toshiba released the first HD-DVD player.
The introduction of two different formats has split the electronics industry and Hollywood film studios.
Historic fight
Many people liken the fight to the 1980s tussle between VHS and Betamax. Then, Sony lost out to rival JVC in the format wars.
This time, the electronics giant will be hoping that it will come out on top.
Backers of its technology include Samsung, Dell and Apple, while Toshiba, with NEC, Microsoft and others, is pushing HD DVD.
In Hollywood, companies like Disney and 20th Century Fox have sided with Sony, while the followers of HD DVD include Universal.
Warner Bros and Viacom have said they will support both.
Film extras
Both systems are incompatible but can both store large amounts of data, important for high-definition video.
The technologies use a blue laser to write information. It has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored.
 Owners of the Xbox 360 will have to buy a separate HD DVD drive |
The first Blu-ray discs can store 25GB of high-quality data, but will eventually be able to store 50GB.
Toshiba's HD DVD will hold 30GB.
By comparison, a standard single-layer DVD holds just under 5GB of data
Both disc formats offer much better quality audio and video, and the ability for film-makers to pack many more extras onto a single disc.
They will also be more user-friendly, allowing users to switch languages or skip scenes without having to return to the main menu.
Games technology
The first Blu-ray players are made by Samsung and will retail at $1,000 (£550) in the US, nearly twice the price of the first HD-DVD players.
Seven discs have gone on sale including classic films like The Terminator.
 Sony plans to use Blu-ray in the PlayStation 3 |
Even before the players have hit the shelves, backers of the HD-DVD format have upped the stakes.
Toshiba has said it will offer the first HD-DVD recorder in Japan from mid-July 2006.
The recorder will sell for nearly 400,000 Yen (£1,900).
But many people are waiting for what could be the "killer application" for Blu Ray.
Sony's PlayStation 3, which will be launched in mid-November, will come with a Blu-ray drive as standard.
In comparison, owners of Microsoft's Xbox 360, which is already available around the world, will have to buy a separate HD DVD drive when they become available.
Games consoles tend to drive early adoption of technology because hardcore gamers, keen to get their hands on the latest titles, are prepared to buy the latest technology.
The games industry is estimated to be worth $25 billion (£13.5 billion) dollars annually Staking claims
Toshiba said a single "hybrid" format would be better for people and it said it would aim for that as a compromise.
Sony is reportedly pushing Blu-ray's disc structure and HD-DVD software technology as a hybrid solution.
Toshiba wants to use HD-DVD's disc structure, which is closer to that of DVDs now, and use Sony's multi-layer data recording technology.
Blu-ray discs can store 50GB of high-quality data, while Toshiba's HD-DVD can hold 30GB.
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Next generation DVD players use blue lasers to give a shorter wavelength than red light used for current DVDs and CDs.
Both disc formats offer much better quality audio and video, and could also mean there is a lot more room for interactive elements.
Gamers will also benefit from the next generation of discs. The storage capacity means that console titles will fit onto a single disc and the graphics will be much improved, almost film-like.
Movie studios and technology companies have been choosing which format to back, but many have been leaving their options open for alternative formats.
Blu-ray backers include Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Samsung, and Disney.
HD-DVD supporters include Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers Studios.
Toshiba and Sony have been in talks with studios and technology companies to come up with a compromise, that would mean discs work on all types of players.
Technology manufacturers hope that the next generation of DVDs will mean people buy up new DVD players. Some are available in Japan already.
The next-generation DVD format Blu-ray is winning more supporters than its rival, according to its backers.
Blu-ray, backed by 100 firms including Sony, is competing against Toshiba and NEC-backed HD-DVD to be the format of choice for future films and games.
The Blu-Ray Association said on Thursday that games giants Electronic Arts and Vivendi would both support its DVD format.
The next generation of DVDs will hold high-definition video and sound.
This offers incredible 3D-like quality of pictures which major Hollywood studios and games publishers are extremely keen to exploit in the coming year.
In a separate press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Toshiba announced that DVD players for its technology would be on the market by the end of 2005.
Format war
"As we move from standard definition video images to high-definition images, we have a much greater need for storage," Richard Doherty, from Panasonic's Hollywood Laboratories, one of the pioneers of Blu-ray, told the BBC news website.
"So by utilising blue laser-based technology we can make an optical laser disc that can hold six times as much as today's DVD."
A Blu-ray disc will be able to store 50GB of high-quality data, while Toshiba's HD-DVD will hold 30GB.
Mr Doherty added that it was making sure the discs could satisfy all high-definition needs, including the ability to record onto the DVDs and smaller discs to fit into camcorders.
Both Toshiba and Blu-ray are hopeful that the emerging DVD format war, akin to the Betamax and VHS fight in the 1980s, can be resolved over the next year when next-generation DVD players start to come out.
When players do come out, they will be able to play standard DVDs too, which is good news for those who have huge libraries of current DVDs.
'Ravenous' gamers
But the support from Vivendi and Electronics Arts is a big boost to Blu-ray in the battle for supremacy.
 |  The focus for games moving forward on increased immersion  Richard Doherty, Panasonic |
Gaming is a $20 billion industry worldwide, so is as crucial as the film industry in terms of money to be made.
"The technical requirement for game development today demands more advanced optical-disc technologies," said Michael Heilmann, chief technology officer for Vivendi Universal.
"Blu-ray offers the capacity, performance and high-speed internet connectivity to take us into the future of gaming."
EA, a leading games developer and publisher, added that the delivery of high-definition games of the future was vital and Blu-ray had the capacity, functionality and interactivity needed for the kinds of projects it was planning.
Sony recently announced it would be using the technology in its next generation of PlayStations.
Mr Doherty said gamers were "ravenous" for high-quality graphics and technology for the next generation of titles.
"Gamers, especially those working on PCs, are always focused on more capacity to deliver textures, deeper levels, for delivering higher-resolution playback."
'Focus'
He added: "The focus for games moving forward is on increased immersion.
 Sony says its new PlayStation will support Blu-ray |
"Gaming companies really like to focus on creating a world which involves creating complicated 3D models and textures and increasing the resolution, increasing the frame rate - all of these are part of getting a more immersive experience."
Fitting these models on current DVD technologies means compressing the graphics so much that much of this quality is lost. As games move to more photo-real capability, the current technology is limiting.
"They are thrilled at the advanced capacity to start to build these immersive environments," said Mr Doherty.
Currently, graphics-intensive PC games also require multiple discs for installation. High-definition DVDs will cut down on that need.
Likewise, consoles rely on single discs, so DVDs that can hold six times more data mean much better, high-resolution games.
Blu-ray has already won backing from major Hollywood studios, such as MGM Studios, Disney, and Buena Vista, as well as top technology firms like Dell, LG, Samsung and Phillips amongst others.
While Toshiba's HD-DVD technology has won backing from Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. "The real world benefits (of HD-DVD) are apparent and obvious," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video.
Mr Cardwell added that rapid time to market and dependability were significant factors in choosing to go with HD-DVD.
Both formats are courting Microsoft to be the format of choice for the next generation Xbox, but discussions are still on-going.
Next generation DVDs will also be able to store images and other data.
CES is the largest consumer electronics show in the world, and runs from 6 to 9 January.
