|
31
Jan|09
|
|
Since 1997 DVDs of our favorite films have been being made available and have rapidly replaced VHS as the format of choice for many people around the world. The discs hold 4.7 gigabytes which meant that they could offer better sound and picture than the videotapes people had could. At first, people scoffed at the high prices of the discs and said that they would never pay that much for a movie when they could get the same thing on VHS, but then they saw the clarity and were impressed. Something happened that aided in changing the poor initial sales of DVD as a video format.
Playstation 2 and Xbox chose to use DVDs as their disc of choice meaning that people didn't have to spend $300+ for something to watch their movies on. They were truly home entertainment systems. The DVDs initially cost about $18-$22 and it was hard for people to find the films that they were looking for. Now, DVD player prices have dropped drastically and almost any movie or tv series you want is available on the format. One reason for the dramatic price drop is another technology change.
Sony, Phillips and Panasonic were hard at work on a disc called Blu-ray that was to be used on their Playstation 3 and for films. Toshiba created the HD-DVD. Both had high clarity and great sound. They created a disc war that hadn't been seen since the likes of Betamax vs VHS. This war lasted from 2006-2008. HD-DVD lost the war because its discs can only hold 15 gigabytes per single-layer disc as opposed to Blu-ray discs being able to hold 25 per single-layer disc. Most movies on HD-DVD and Blu-ray are released on dual-layer discs. Since most Blu-ray movies were being released on 50 gigabyte discs, the owners were being treated to the best sound and quality available.
HD-DVD fans claim one bright spot: Unlike Blu-ray that has 3 regions and DVD that has 7, they have none. They can order and watch a movie from any country in the world on their player. In 2008 HD-DVD suffered huge blows when Warner Bros. stopped supporting them, Best Buy started recommending Blu-ray players over HD-DVD, finally to put the stake through HD-DVD's heart Walmart gave up on HD-DVD and said that they would be supporting Blu-ray. Due to this, for a long time you could get an HD-DVD player for a bargain price. It was an okay idea if you didn't mind paying for a dying technology.
Now that Blu-ray has won that battle it is against DVD and the only comparison is in the price department. Multiple stores have deals where you get free Blu-ray movies when you buy a player. Some have deals where you get a free Blu-ray player when you buy an HDTV. The movies cost anywhere from $17-$30. T.V. show seasons are starting to get released on Blu-ray. It is like the rise of DVD was before it. A Blu-ray player upconverts your DVDs to make them look even better which is a nice feature, but is it worth the money? I guess it's your choice. Until then, I leave you with a list of Blu-ray discs I like: "The Dark Knight", "Wanted", "Hellboy 2", "Tropic Thunder", "Pineapple Express" and "Iron Man".
Last edited: Feb 03, 2009 @ 05:31 PM, 408 days ago |
|
advertisement
Comment
|
