New Technology Held Up By High CostHDTV DVD technology has a lot of potential in the realms of both home theater and computing. After all, this technology makes it possible to store dozens of gigabytes of data on a single optical disc the same size as a normal DVD or CD. There's only one problem with this new technology- it's widespread adoption is being held up by a format war. HDTV DVD technology has a lot of potential in the realms of both home theater and computing. After all, this technology makes it possible to store dozens of gigabytes of data on a single optical disc the same size as a normal DVD or CD. There's only one problem with this new technology- it's widespread adoption is being held up by a format war.
Right now there are two optical disc formats that are capable of delivering a full length movie- plus all of its bonus features- on a single optical disc. They are HD-DVD, which was created by Toshiba, and Blu-ray, which was created by Sony. Both use similar technology to encode data on the discs and to read it back, but unfortunately neither format's players will read discs of the other format.
This situation has led analysts to the conclusion that only one of the two formats will survive. That conclusion has prompted consumers to hold of on purchasing either type of player en mass until the format war sorts itself out. Considering that the format war has been going on for a year now, it seems like there's really no hurry. While Blu-ray is pulling ahead in terms of sales, HD-DVD and its backers (which includes Microsoft), is unwilling to concede defeat.
There is technology that could allow consumers to take matters into their own hands.
This technology comes in the form of dual format HDTV DVD players that are produced by third parties. These devices can play both Blu-ray discs and HD-DVD discs, and the technology presents a solution to the problem of the format war. If everyone buys a dual format High Def DVD player, the format question will essentially become irrelevant. Rather than being a source of anxiety about which technology to choose, the fact that there are two formats will just serve to keep the prices of the discs down. And then if one format does win at some point, it won't matter to consumers because they'll be covered because they'll have the right player either way.
Unfortunately this scenario isn't as idyllic as it may seem. That's because the two models of dual format HDTV DVD players to appear on the market so far are both too expensive to be a realistic option for consumers. In fact, it would be cheaper for consumers to buy both a Blu-ray player and an HD-DVD player than it would be for them to buy a single dual format player! Of course, the cost of electronics goes down after some early adopters have pumped some money into the product, but that probably won't happen when consumers have a cheaper option available to them.
One thing that can give consumers some hope is that dual format high def DVD players will be a solution to anyone who doesn't want to be caught having chose the wrong format. In other words, these devices at their current prices, are perfect for the early adopter who is more interested in being right than he is in saving money. If there are enough people out there, dual format HDTV DVD players may yet have a chance to survive and to relieve consumers from the annoyances of a format war. http://www.newtechnologytalk.com
No comments:
Post a Comment