Andy Daniëls3 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)

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?