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Blu-Ray Disc
 HD DVD (High
Definition DVD) is a digital optical media format which is being
developed as one standard for high-definition DVD. HD DVD is similar to
the competing Blu-ray Disc, which also uses the same CD sized (120 mm
diameter) optical data storage media and 405 nm wavelength blue laser.
HD DVD is promoted by Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, and, most recently,
Microsoft, HP[1], and Intel. HD DVD may be non-exclusively backed by
three major studios: Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner
Bros. Toshiba announced the first sales of HD DVD players set for March
2006 with models priced at $499 and $799. Also at CES 2006, Microsoft
announced that there will be an external add-on HD DVD drive for the
Xbox 360 game console, due sometime this year.
HD DVD has a single layer capacity of 15 GB and a dual-layer capacity
of 30 GB. Toshiba has announced that a triple-layer disc is in
development, which would offer 45GB of storage. This is less than its
primary competitor Blu-ray Disc, which supports 25GB for one layer,
50GB for two layers as presently released. BD 100GB for four, 200GB for
eight layers have being demonstrated in laboratory but not released to
the market. HD DVD proponents point out that multi-layer Blu-ray discs
are still in development. The surface layer of an HD DVD disc is 0.6 mm
thick, the same as DVD but thicker than the Blu-ray Disc's 0.1 mm
layer. The numerical aperture of the optical pick-up head is 0.65,
compared with 0.6 for DVD. Both formats will be backwards compatible
with DVDs and both employ the same video compression techniques:
MPEG-2, Video Codec 1 (VC1, based on the Windows Media 9 format) and
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. HD DVD is frequently mispelled 'HD-DVD' as people
think it copies the dash from previous generation DVD.
There are many advantages to the fact that HD DVD discs will be the
same size as current DVD discs. Backwards compatibility will be
available with all HD DVD players allowing consumers to only require a
single player in their homes to play both HD DVD and DVD discs. DVD
disc replication companies can continue using their current production
equipment with only minor alterations when changing over to the format
of HD DVD replication. Due to the structure of the single-lens optical
head, both red and blue laser diodes can be used in smaller, more
compact HD DVD players. Additionally there is hybrid HD DVD which
contains both DVD and HD DVD versions of the same movie on a single
disc, providing smoother transition for the studios in terms of
publishing the movies.
D DVD uses a blue-violet laser to read information from the disc. The
wavelength of the laser light is 405 nm compared to the 650 nm
wavelength of the red lasers used in DVDs. The wavelength being shorter
reduces diffraction and maintains a smaller spot size of the laser.
This means that data can be read from a higher density on the disc
surface. While DVDs and HD DVDs are the same size physically, the
ability to store data at a higher density results in a larger total
data capacity in HD DVDs.
Partial list of announced HD DVD launch
releases
During the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show, Universal Pictures, Warner
Home Video, and Paramount Home Entertainment announced their respective
lists of launch releases. At the time of CES, a total of 86 titles had
been announced. Partial lists of the announced titles for the
respective movie companies follows.
Complete
list of 24 launch titles by Warner Home Video
Batman Begins
Constantine
Million Dollar Baby
The Phantom of the Opera
Twister
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Training Day
Unforgiven
Goodfellas
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
The Matrix
Swordfish
Syriana
Blazing Saddles
Dukes of Hazzard
Full Metal Jacket
Rumor Has It
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Green Mile
Ocean's Twelve
Troy
Complete
list of 20 launch titles by Paramount Home Entertainment
The Manchurian Candidate
SpongeBob SquarePants
Elizabethtown
Coach Carter
The Italian Job
School of Rock
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
Ghost
Grease
Mission Impossible 2
Black Rain
Save the Last Dance
Sleepy Hollow
Rattle and Hum
Vanilla Sky
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Star Trek: First Contact
We Were Soldiers
Complete
list of 20 launch titles by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Recent and catalog releases
Van Helsing
The Bourne Supremacy
The Chronicles of Riddick
Apollo 13
U-571
12 Monkeys
Dune
The Thing
End of Days
Backdraft
Waterworld
The Bone Collector
Spy Game
Pitch Black
Conan the Barbarian
Dante's Peak
The 40 Year-Old Virgin
Cinderella Man
Doom
Jarhead
Serenity
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**This may contain information of a speculative nature and the content
may change dramatically as the product release approaches and more
information becomes available.
***Information provided by Wikipedia www.wikipedia.com
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