AtSC DTV, HDTV, D-VHS, Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD.
We really live in interesting times! ATSC DTV and HDTV is here. Everything is changing. TV sets are going to wide screen 16:9 as opposed to the legacy box 4:3 sizes.
Then there is surround sound as well.
Off air broadcasts, cable and satellite are offering High Resolution (HDTV) and the content is increasing daily. Now most footage with an expected life of over a year is shot on HDTV. Even consumer HDTV video cameras are now available as very reasonable cost.
Old and New:
VHS and D-VHS.
VHS which has served us all so well for two decades is now available for HDTV in it's D-VHS form. Technically, D-VHS is superb and can store almost 50 giga bytes of data compared to the 4.7 GB of DVD. It appears however, that marketing on the DVD format, brought the public to believe tape is old fashioned. This is unfortunate but perception is reality and tape is on the way out.
DVD and Blu-Ray Disc.
With the event of HDTV and DVD's incapability to accommodate it, influential and technically gigantic members of the DVD Rights and Royalties group decided to start a new group, outside the DVD group. This is the Blu-Ray Disc Rights and Royalties group. The format uses a blue laser and is technically superb, is recordable from the outset and has the capacity to use MPEG 2 which is used for broadcast. The structure of the pressed / molded Blu-Ray Disc uses an optical layer very close to the surface enabling optimum aperture of the optics.
DVD and HD DVD.
Toshiba and NEC, members of the DVD Rights and Royalties group decided to offer an in house solution for HD using a blue laser. The optical layer much like a DVD and is far deeper than with the Blu-Ray Disc and thus the numerical aperture is less optimum. The storage capacity is less than the Blu-Ray and other compression algorithms have to be used such as H264 and MPEG 4 or WP9. These are not used for broadcast and the possibility of recording on HD DVD off air does not exist.
Who will win, Blu-Ray Disc or HD DVD?
As both systems will work it is now a question of marketing. It is reminiscent of the Beta - VHS conflict again. When purchasing capital cost production equipment, a short amortization period is far safer. Even before the big Blu-Ray Disc / HD DVD duel starts, it is also wise to acquire equipment easily adaptable to various circumstances. Both the Blu Ray and HD-DVD groups are working on new packaging to create an obvious difference to avoid confusion on the retail shelves. .