BluRay or HD DVD? Buyer's Guide to the Newest in DVD Technology

Buyers beware. Before you go out and buy that new Blu-ray scanning device Sony just released or the HD-DVD scanner for the $400-600 retail price, remember Beta. The Beta machine came out in the late ‘70s, a product endeavor from Sony. Before it came, no one was able to record their favorite shows on TV.
What looked like a great idea for a machine soon became obsolete. The next venture in recorded video was the VHS, included with the VCR. They weren’t so much clearer than Beta as they offered longer recording time (“SP”, “LP”, “SLP”, etc.).

Now, after 10 years of reliable DVD use, people are being asked to sit through another product war, where the winner will decide for them what name their next home video player shall have. Sony’s Blu-ray vs HD-DVD, a system backed by multiple companies. Perhaps you’ve noticed two very different kinds of DVD box cases on the shelves, featuring some of the newest and most popular films. Blu-ray has a metallic blue strip across the top, and HD-DVD has a grey strip across the top of their case covers. Don’t be fooled. Neither Blu-ray nor HD-DVD released movies will play on your household DVD player.

The Blu-ray technology is built on the same technology that the standard red-eye laser your DVD or CD players use today. Although the Blu-ray technology is designed to focus finer and the HD technology requires more layers of data in the disk to bring you the sharper image and better sound quality, it’s not possible to get the same clarity on a standard television. Where I was lucky enough to own one, I know that those millions of people who can’t afford to own a HDTV won’t be able to enjoy all this new technology has to offer.

You go to the store, you buy one of those expensive new systems, you plug it into your TV, and you don’t get a picture. Then, all you can do is pray the return policy still applies or else you’re out $400-600 or more.