December 18, 2006. Copyright, 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Fight for the future of DVDs

LONDON, December 18, Graphic News: With the battle between rival high-definition media formats set to dominate 2007, Toshiba is making a bid for glory with the HD-E1, its first stand-alone HD-DVD player to be launched in the UK.

TodayÕs DVDs can hold up to 4.7 gigabytes (Gb) of data -- enough for 133 minutes of playback recorded television or film. Whereas they use a red laser, the two new formats, HD-DVD and Blu-ray, employ a shorter wavelength blue laser to read and write to discs. This allows greater precision in focusing the laser spot, making it possible to store data closer together and in a smaller space. As a result, DVDs of the future will have 3-5 times the recording capacity and will display images up to five times sharper than traditional DVD, with exceptional sound to match.

Of the two competing formats, HD-DVD has the lower storage capacity of 15-20Gb. As it resembles current disc format, its proponents argue that it will be easier to manufacture in existing factories and allow new drives to be compatible with older formats. The Blu-ray disc, being led by Sony and supported by 12 other electronic companies and PC manufacturers, will have a capacity of 23-27Gb. However, it will require new equipment to be manufactured and furthermore will not be compatible with existing DVD formats.

Priced at around £450 ($880, 670 EUR), the HD-E1 costs roughly half as much as any currently available Blu-ray player, and is complemented by a choice of over 40 HD-DVD titles, including Superman Returns, King Kong and Goodfellas.
/ENDS