Whereas the CD, as data storage and delivery media, lasted successfully for decades and seems to be alive and kicking as we speak, we can't say the same about the DVD. On the market for a mere few years, the format is not very much taken into account when it comes to store and deliver video and audio content.

While at the beginning of the decade, the DVD seemed like a major discovery, it shortly proved itself unable to solve some of the most important problems that lead to its very creation.

As far as entertainment is concerned, the maximum video resolution DVD could provide, 720x480, was shortly overcome by the technological progress pace and technical features of new TVs, multimedia projectors or other image display devices. But the main problem remains the poor security. DeCSS and DivX came as major surprises, and lessened the DVD enthusiasm.

The IT industry wasn't very excited either by the new disc, all things considered. The DVD+R/RW vs. DVD-R/RW battle, born, all in all, still in the entertainment area, generated a lot of confusion and lead to a much lower than expected PC technology implementation ratio. Combining both technologies in combo devices was a last resort solution, unable to generate much enthusiasm either.

The future of DVD is still unclear, but what is certain is that a replacement is already needed and looked upon. And the favorite candidates seem to be Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. But things are far from being settled yet, as far as these two formats are concerned.

A real battle or beforehand publicity?

Although it will take a while till they become largely accessible - probably towards the end of 2005, but most likely in 2006 - the formats believed to replace the DVD generated several debates and the last CES (Consumer & Electronics Show) only proved that the two discs are really at war.

Besides, if you're looking for information on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, the first data you are most likely to obtain would be who's backing one format or the other, or who is undecided yet. Oh, and maybe the promised storage capacity for each format.

If you're to confide in this data, then Blu-Ray promises 25 GB for single-layer and 50 GB for dual-layer, compared to HD-DVD's 15 GB for single-layer and 30 GB for dual-layer, and it's backed by the most important audio-video entertainment and IT companies, so we have a winner... Then why is there a battle, and, most importantly, is it really necessary?

The answer is yes! The battle is inevitable, and it's not necessary about who is going to sell more units or who is going to get more popular, it's about information control.

The final stake: movies

One of the data broadly available on the Internet is the maximum supported resolution: an amazing 1920x1080 pixel. In brief, the
movies offered on such a support would have incomparable image clarity, judging against DVD's present capabilities. And whoever wins the battle dictates the format for the new big movie, and, financially speaking, will control a hundred, maybe thousand billion dollar industry. And the sale increase of TV and other compatible displays adds to this.

The big award for the winning format has so many zeros as even the companies used to astronomic figures would get dizzy with the taste of unlimited success.

On the other hand, the two formats are incompatible with each other, so it's certain that a similar solution to that adopted in the case of DVDs is not feasible, since a device able to operate both technologies would require separate reading lasers and mechanisms, and would be, in the end, too expensive and bulky for the average user.

The battle is hazardous and, if the industry won't settle soon for a direction or the other, the adopting of a format will be delayed and all the experts analyzing the phenomenon cite the end of another battle, the '80s confrontation between VHS and Betamax, which only brought disadvantages to all those involved.

Apart from financial and other sort of estimates, at the end of the day, it's about competitors' egos. So whoever controls the way you watch movies in the future remains to be seen.

But which are each format's arguments?

... to be continued...