Sales showing Blu-ray ready to finish off HD-DVD

As if it wasn't bad enough for the HD-DVD campaign, with Blu-ray taking 5 of 8 studios exlcusively, and 2 of 8 going multi-format, HD-DVD is left with only Universal as an exclusive. Universal, of course, is lagging on offering true HD and PCM audio streams on their HD-DVD releases.

While Blu-ray is disliked by some because of the added BD+ technology, with 50 GB on dual layer discs, it is undoubtedly, the stronger format, and has native video and audio support that is superior to HD-DVD (VC1 and 7.1 surround).

But it's sales figures that seem to deliver the final blow, and despite HD-DVD being cheaper, (although the PS3 price drop is sure to help blu-ray further), news of Blockbuster going Blu-ray exclusive has helped Blu-ray hardware and software sales reach an all time high over HD-DVD.

52% of all HD media sales were Blu-ray exclusive
10% were HD-DVD exclusive
37% were on both formats
1% fell into the neither column (WHAT?)
This is being called a "sure win for blu-ray"

Once Universal realizes that Blu-ray is > 3/4 of the player market share, and they're missing out on sales (the scope of things has changed, HD-DVD was good back in April 2006), it will likely be game over for HD-DVD. For the good of the consumer, this format war needs to end.

Full story with a pie chart here:
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9740033-1.html

So, what do you think?

I think my Beta-Max will have a new playmate, soon.

Oh, you bought an HD-DVD player? Seriously, I have Blu-ray because of my Playstation 3, but at least for now, the best move for the consumer is to get a hybrid player.

No. Don't have a Beta, either, though I know a couple people who do.

It's good to read this. At least i'll know which one to buy when the price falls! I never did understand why DVD had two formats? Don't they offer almost exactly the same qualities? It was the same with CD but i don't think i was around when CD+R was on the market - maybe just ignorant at the time

Please don't look too much into the numbers. Both Toshiba and Sony lie about their numbers. They twist the numbers around a lot to make it seem like they are doing better then one another. Remember Toshiba has Microsoft behind HDDVD with the Xbox360, yes it's an addon but they still have that advantage over the crappy sales of the PS3 this year.

Also, I don't know who wrote that article but they don't know what they are talking about.

They claim that only Blu-Ray has VC1 support? Give me a break, VC1 is just the windows media 9 codec. Both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray support it. It's also written in wikipedia for anyone who doesn't believe me. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have adopted VC-1 as a mandatory video standard

Both use the same video codec, and both use the same audio codec. The main difference is the size of the disc, so you get a little more information on a Blu-Ray disc. Is that worth the extra money? Not to me it isn't.

In my opinion HD DVD is the better format, it's cheaper and it is proven technology. Blu-Ray was pushed out the door after having lots of technical problems during production. Which is why it was pushed back so many times.

I wouldn't buy either technology right now, it's a waste of money when you really don't know the final outcome. If I did have a choice I would just by a dual player, like when the DVD wars started with the + and - crap.

In all honesty the average person will never see the difference between the two technologies. (or from DVD to HD and Blu-Ray.) They aren't video professionals, and they don't know what to look for. Just wait till it's all decided in the end, besides that I see nothing wrong with regular dvds on my widescreen dvd. Not worth me spending $400 on something and trying to replace some of my dvd sets. I really don't want to have to buy new Hogan's Heroes box sets.

What you said is mostly true, however, there are some misnomers in there.

First, let me answer JazzyB's statement. Both HD-DVD in and Blu-ray use blu lasers to read the finer data on the disc. Blu lasers are finer, so they read smaller areas. HD-DVD is 15 GB single layer, 30 GB dual layer. Blu-ray is 25 GB Single layer, 50 GB Dual layer. So neither technology is "proven" per say. HD-DVD is a name upgrade, and both types are backwards compatbile, but they are not derived from DVD.

Both systems do have support for VC-1, but in the beginning, some studios released MPEG-2 format on the discs as well, which was what I mis-stated. I apologize. But the difference in audio is there. HD-DVD offers compressed 5.1 audio, Blu-ray, with it's added space offers uncompressed PCM 7.1 Dolby True-HD audio.

Most companies support blu-ray technologically. The BDA has far more companies behind it, and more players are shipping. The technology is undoubtedly superior, and the early problems are gone. Most high end computers that now ship with a next gen drive, are Blu-ray because of storage. Eventually, Microsoft will get around to supporting it in Vista. The Xbox 360 isn't, hasn't and won't help HD-DVD, as we can see. Because of studio support, and no blockbuster support, we can see how poorly the HD-DVD addon failed. PS3 is selling just as fast as the Xbox 360 is, remember, wait for the games.

Blu-ray is also no more expensive. Maybe $100 more for a player, but the discs are the same. And right now, despite it's success, in an atempted death blow to HD-DVD, BDA is running a huge promotion of 5 free Blu-ray movies with the purchase of a player.

For those who are wondering:
7 of 8 major studios support Blu-ray
5 of 8 are exclusive

3 of 8 support HD-DVD
Only Universal (when's the last time they made a good movie) supports HD-DVD exclusively.

You are sadly mistaken to say "death blow" this fight will linger on. HD DVD leads Europe in sales 3 to 1 and they control 71% of the market .

Yes Blu-Ray has the backing of more studios which might be what eventually to in the HD DVD. But do you think that companies are just going to drop the over 261 HD DVDs and throw them in the trash and make Blu-Ray disc?

They both are uncompressed PCM Dolby True-HD audio. Yes Blu-Ray offers 7.1, HD DVD allows for 7.1 but it doesn't have any players that support it yet. (not sure why) And let me know if you can actually hear the difference between 7.1 and 5.1 (besides the fact that you have 2 more speakers.)

I'm not an HD DVD fanboy, in fact I hate both formats. Why couldn't they both work together to make a better format? Because that would make things too easy.

In the end by the time this mess is settle something new will come out and this will start all over again.

On a side note companies like Microsoft and Apple are pushing for the discless approach. In the end I have a feeling that might be the way things will go.

Good points, but I don't trust one study that is inconsistent to all others.

Anyway, I agree, I don't like this war, I wish it wasn't the case. I think either Holographic disc, or downloadable content is the future, but more studios need to support it.

They had worked to make just Blu-ray the format, since it's superior (why do you think HD-DVD is superior), but they couldn't work out licensing with Sony (Toshiba wanted too much).

It's not inconsistent to all the others.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&n...tnG=Search+News

There are a ton of articles there stating that HD DVD is beating Blu-Ray in Europe.

I don't think HD-DVD is superior, I think their really is no difference in the too besides the fact that Blu-Ray holds more media. They both are primarly based off the MPEG-4 codec which means that quality wise they are the same. Yes, Blu-Ray has the better audio stream right now but to me the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 is minor. And the people who can hear the difference are few and far between.

I have beef with Blu-Ray because when they first started to come out with it they went through a ton of deadline changes because of issues they had with the technology. The cost of it has always been more then HD DVD, the cheapest HD DVD player is now $300 compared to Blu-Ray's $500. That's a bit of a difference in my book.

HD DVD was also originally backed by the DVD forum in '03.



At that point I made up my mind to support HD DVD in hopes that we would have one format, which didn't happen. That's why I prefer HD DVD over Blu-Ray if I needed to pick.

But that is argument has become pointless. One format may beat the other but I have no intention of switching to one or the other until they stop producing regualr DVDs which won't happen for some time.