Technology Holds Solution to High Def DVD Format War
There have been several different solutions proposed to end the format war between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD DVD high def DVD formats. One possible solution is a disc that has a Blu-ray version of a movie on one side and an HD DVD version of the same movie on the other side. If discs like these became universal then consumers wouldn't have to decide between buying an HD DVD player or a Blu-ray player. Any disc could be used by either player.
Another solution that has been proposed is the possibility that is more of a solution by default as both formats become obsolete. This would be accomplished by the introduction of some new technology that makes DVD's obsolete, and is obviously not an acceptable solution in the view of Sony or Toshiba. One example of a technology that could do this is mass storage of video on portable hard drives. This video would be stored in a highly compressed format on very large drives that could connect to existing home entertainment equipment through the use of USB technology. Consumers would purchase these drives for a reasonable price and then pay for the access codes to watch individual videos on the disk. In effect, this would be much like the kind of video on demand service that satellite TV providers offer right now, only with a lot more videos to choose from and the ability to access any videos that have been unlocked indefinitely.
Another DVD killing technology would be anything that would allow a comprehensive video on demand service. Basically, if it was possible to get virtually any video ever made from the comfort of one's own home- both high def and conventional- there would cease to be any point in producing DVD's. Fortunately for everyone who has an interest in DVD's, such a service is a long way off, as much for legal copyright reasons as technical ones.
Then there's the possibility of HDTV killing technologies. Three Dimensional TV is one potential example of this. But it should be mentioned that there is a prototype Blu-ray player that's supposedly capable of upconverting high def video from Blu-ray discs so that it appears in three dimensions when viewed through goggles or on a 3D HDTV.
Perhaps the best technology that has been implemented so far that could end the format war is the dual format HDTV DVD player. Currently these devices are made by LG and Samsung, and their defining characteristic is that they can both play High Def DVD's in both formats. In other words, anyone who buys one of these devices doesn't have to be concerned about the high def DVD format war because they can play discs in either format. Of course, even if dual format high def DVD players became universal, HD DVD and Blu-ray would still be fighting for greater market share, but that wouldn't really be of any concern to consumers. In fact, consumers would probably benefit from a format war like that because the two sides would hold each others' prices down.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like dual format players will be a real solution because they cost so much. Right now it would be a better use of money to buy both an HD DVD player and a Blu-ray player separately. Hopefully though, this technology will come down in price to the point where it's completely viable.
E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV She'd like to inform you about the latest Dish TV services and how you can find the best Dishnet TV HD Deals
