A new format war is upon us. I speak of course of the HD video war. In one corner is the storage heavyweight Blue-ray, and in the other the slightly familiar HD-DVD. To the naked eye both look identical, shiny and round, just like a regular DVD. But beneath the surface of each lie different technologies, and a whole lot of politics.
Before consumers were in this mess it was DVD Vs DIVX. We all know how that panned out. Even before the optical disc wars Betamax and VHS were slugging it out over which format would dominate tape. However, this time it’s different. This time there is a third contender, and it’s not a format at all, it’s a delivery method.
With the advent of affordable high speed Internet, content can be delivered right to the consumer, cutting out the need for optical discs entirely. Apple,Amazon, TiVo, and others have launched services where users can purchase and download content online. No trips to the store, no discs to get scratched, no problem.
I believe when the dust settles on this war neither Blue-ray or HD-DVD will be standing. Hopefully, when a victor does emerge, there will be somethingdecent to watch.
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