Blu-ray and HD DVD Star Rating Breakdown

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally Posted by GoldenRedux

Why do you keep saying that people are claiming disc capacity will 'win'? I haven't seen anybody say that. What people have said is that Blu-ray has the advantage of larger disc capacity, and what's more higher bandwidth. Why do you keep ignoring this last point? And what about bandwidth? It is vapourware, as it hasn't even been tested, it exists only on paper, it is nowhere in the specs, and is not compatible with any players currently in production. However, if you insist on bringing up the mythical triple-layered 51GB HD DVD disc, then I am obliged to mention the quadruple layered 200GB Blu-ray disc which, unlike the TL51GB disc, was actually physically demonstrated and exists somewhere other than on paper. Uh, no it wasn't. Blu-ray was actually in development before HD DVD and already being tested. Considering they launched merely two months after HD DVD, how do you quantify your statement that Blu-ray was vapourware when HD DVD was released? That is hardly vapourware.

See the PS3. See the Panasonic DMP-BD10.

I haven't ignored the higher bandwidth, I haven't seen any evidence if both use the highest posible bandwidth that there will be any discernible difference using the same codecs, or different codecs for that matter. I didn't believe Blu-ray was vaporware, I only used that example in response to your claim anything that HD DVD doesn't have on the market yet is vaporware. If you want to state, anything not yet on the market is vaporware, then we couldn't discuss Blu-ray until a couple of months after HD DVD launched. That wasn't my definition of vaporware, I considered it yours. My statement that there is no technical explanation showing how HD DVD can not increase disc capacity and the fact I have read both 45 GB and 51 GB discs have been manufactured and are being tested for feasibility means I have concluded there will be much higher capacity HD DVD discs in the future and the temporary claim that HD DVD has disc capacity limitation problems isn't meaningful, except for now. The quadruple layered discs may or may not be valid, but wouldn't surprise me. Theoretical disc capacity limitations were shown to be minor issues in the past and will be again. Beyond around 40 or 50 GB capacity is likely not necessary for consumer Blu-ray software or HD DVD software unless I am missing something meaningful.

Has Panasonic provided the firmware updates for the first generation player to allow the advanced audio codecs? Has Sony provided the same for the PS3? I only stated the HD DVD had earlier support for the advanced codecs, and any discussion of the fact Blu-ray would eventually have support is talking about something that isn't yet on the market.

All of the discussion about the technical merits as a reason to choose one format over the other are only meaningful to the tiniest percentage of the market, maybe quite a few members here consider it an issue of importance, I know I don't. I have primarily stated the technical merits will be meaningless to the format war and the if the technical differences can actually provide anything we will eventually hear or see, that remains to be seen, since Blu-ray hasn't used the higher bandwidth or greater capacity to any significant noticeable difference to this point.

Chris