Tomorrow’s Technology for today-3
Don’t worry. It is not from the Martian world. It is from the big guns of the Entertainment world which are fighting the war of the cyber Century, a war for the greatest Technotainment (Technology for Entertainment)
So what’s up.
Samsung’s first Blu Ray Disc player was delivered on June 25th, 2006.(1000 $)
Sony’s Blu Ray Disc are ready for delivery July 2006
Sony’s Blu Ray Player BDP S1 will be ready for delivery ON October 29th , 2006(999 $)
Sony’s Blu Ray compatible Viao Laptop-same date
Toshiba’s HD-DVD compatible Laptop shipped from June 2006.
This mid summer 2006 digital revolution is going to rip the Entertainment world into two halves-one for the High Density optical disk format for DVDs and the other for Blu-ray format for DVDs. Take your side once you read the rev or wait for this great dichotomy to end.
Give me no more red
If you are watching Movies on your VCD format it is passé today and if you are still using your VHS tapes, you are in Neanderthal WORLD. The Conventional VCDs come with 700 MB space enough for 80 minutes of a movie. The Digital Versatile Disc moved many steps ahead in digital video processing giving high quality video pixel density and Dolby digital sound. At the same time, it enables space of 4.7GB (single layer) and 9.4 GB (double layer) to fit in 2-5 movies.
The conventional DVD uses red laser for reading and writing data. Red laser being at higher wavelength (650 nm) packs very less data which means bigger spots and lesser pixel density.
Blur ray disc player uses blue-violet laser which is much shorter wavelength (405 nm) and nearly three times the density of packing to give high quality digital video and sound.
HD-DVD also uses same blue laser but with different optics and different track pitch which results in slightly lesser packing density. So the pickup aperture for HD-DVD ends at 0.65 and Blu-ray at 0.85.The net result is that HD-DVD uses a similar disc as DVD at 0.6 mm surface layer which makes them as much prone to scratches and finger prints like a DVD.
The Blu-ray DVD disk comes with a 1.1 mm thick substrate and a 0.1 mm cover layer. But wait HD DVD has the edge here The manufacturing of HD-DVD is similar to the conventional DVDs and there is no need to develop new manufacturing process. This enormously reduces the cost of manufaturing the HD-DVD as well as they can build volumes fast. But the advantage ends there.
What does blu-ray and HD-DVD mean to future entertainment?
*Blu-ray Discs
Mega Entertainment at1080p/24** Video resolution (1920x 1080), audio supports 8 channels at 32 streams , 7.1 surround sound (Dolby digital Plus) –mind boggling experience in your living room. Mega because it has space of 25 GB (single layer) enough for 10 Movies and 50 GB (double layer) enough for 25 movies.(But practically when you make high density compression , it boils down to 3 & 5 respectively ) How about data-well your Computer hard disc will run shy. Gaming boys like Tenny will have their hair vibrating.
*HD-DVD (High Definition DVD)
Just the same mega entertainment but falls short in disc space-15 GB (single layer) and 30 GB (Double layer)*
The Digital war of the Century-Blu-Ray D Vs HD-DVD
Sony, HP, Apple, Mistubishi, Panasonic, LG , Pioneer Samsung, Philips, Sharp + 100 companies
Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures
EA SPORTS
Vs.
Toshiba, Hitach, NEC + 40 companies
Paramount, Universal and Warner bros
Only Walt Disney has promised to make movies on both formats. That leaves us the viewers, users and gamers in a quandary.
This war is going to go on like VHS Vs Beta and the universal problem is that both need different manufacturing process and hence both systems will not be compatible with each other. However we can rejoice because both players are reverse compatible to old formats like DVD and can be hooked to our existing systems.
Sony Pictures have just launched Blu-Ray Movies Underworld evolution, Stealth, Terminator, House of flying daggers and many more.For online Visual experience you can check Toshiba (Hair raising Helicopter AD) and Sony sites.
Gamers don’t despair, the world will be at your feet
Imagine 50 GB High density Game DVD on your desk top, unbelievable and out of the world entertainment and no more drags and blips in your gaming experience. Tenny are you reading.
The net affect of this Entertainology war will be that the cost of DVDs and players will come down and by 2007-8, the technology that BECOMES MORE AFFORDABLE WILL WIN.This war is the best thing to happen for Home Entertainment, High quality Gaming, and High quantity Infotainment
The future is bright, beautiful and more entertaining but at a cost.
Courtesy –Sony, Toshiba, Blu-ray websites and Media
Hope the new tech rev was entertaining and let me know in your comments what the future of this digital revolution is going to be.Remember the war between Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo for 16 bit gaming handhelds and Sony romped home with the Playstation2 when it got extended to 32 bit gaming at 100 million $ by Mid 2006. So size does matter and keep guessing whether Sony wins another war.Once again I bet you need the world renowned Gaming theory to be adopted into this war as to who comes out finally.
Thanks for reading.
