Andy Daniëls 3 SWMA ICT03

Introduction History Technical Comparison Companies Security Why Blu-ray is On the Rise? Television: HD vs. Standard Conclusion Questions? Discussion

 High-definition (HD) television and HD optical discs entered the market  Two HD formats have appeared in the DVD market, both claiming to be the rightful successor to the DVD throne:  Blu-ray (developed by Sony/Phillips)  HD DVD (developed by Toshiba)  Measured by performance  the two technologies are the same, except that Blu-ray has larger capacity (66%).

 Before HD, IBM introduced a standard DVD format  avoid a format war, but the outcome favored Toshiba regarding royalties, leaving Sony unhappy  In response, Sony began developing the next generation of high- definition optical media (Blu-Ray)  Toshiba followed immediately with its own HD technology (HD DVD)  While there were many “peace talks”, neither party reached agreement  THE FORMAT WAR

 Most performance features of these two technologies are the same  Blu-ray storage capacity is more practical for HD movies  One high-definition movie (~20GB) fits on just one Blu-ray layer (25GB); while HD DVD requires two layers (2x 15GB)

 Both formats have support from various large companies, Blu-ray has greater support from content providers that are critical to achieving a network effect

 Advanced Access Content System (AACS): AACS is the copy protection scheme used by both HD DVD & Blu-ray. It took years to develop, but it was hacked in a few weeks.  Blu-ray: Offers coating to prevent scratching Secure encryption system -- a unique ID that protects against video and copyright piracy

 Availability of Hardware  Blu-ray (with PS3) : HD DVD = 5 : 1  Blu-ray sales up 700% since the launch of PS3 and other players  Availability of Content  19 of the “Top 20” DVDs in 2007 were released by studios supporting Blu-ray

 TV remains the Limiting Factor for the time being High-definition provides far superior resolution, so without HD televisions the improvement in quality will go unnoticed.

 Blu-ray is positioned to win the format war because  Stronger sales in the US and Japan  Blu-ray has greater support  Blu-ray has better copy protection  PS3 integrated Blu-ray players  Larger capacity of 25GB (vs 15GB)

 Finally, Toshiba held a press conference in Japan that would effectively and definitively end the HD media format war after 1 year, 10 months and 5 days.end the HD media format war  Winners:  The PlayStation 3  Warner Bros./Wal-Mart/Best Buy/Netflix  Hitachi  Losers :  Apple  Microsoft

 When buying a Blu-Ray you need a HD TV to benefit from the quality difference, would you invest in a new TV?  Will Blu-Ray become the new standard? Or will people wait for the next generation because Blu-Ray is too expensive?  If you had to choose between Xbox 360 or PS3, which one would you choose?