DVD format war: HD DVD launches

The first salvo in the DVD format war has been officially fired, as HD DVD players officially go on sale in the US today.

In a situation mimicking the VHS vs Betamax video format war on the 1980’s, there are two different formats in the next step of DVD technology.

HD DVD and Blu-ray are the competing formats, and both are being pushed by competiting electronics.

HD DVD - made by Toshiba - offers up to 30 GB of recording space on a single disk, while Blu-ray - made by Sony - is expected to be able to offer up to 50 GB.

Although HD DVD has seen the earlier release, with Blu-ray not expected to be launched until May, it may be Blu-ray that finally wins out.

Because Sony can push Blu-ray via their Sony Playstation 3, due out this Christmas, they can generate a very dominant hold for the technology because of their leadership in this field. In addition to that, Sony is already a major film distributor.

With Sony’s leading hand in both consumer markets of video and DVD, it will be very difficult for HD DVD to compete in the long-term unless they can find a way to ensure competitive distribution.

In the meantime, home consumers should especially keep their eye out on players that will work with both the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, until a clear winner finally emerges.