both of them have the same data storage capabilities
Like i said earlier, you really need to do some more research to get the facts straight. First of all, both formats do not have the same capacity. HD-DVD is limited to two layers of 15GB each, which adds upto only 30GB. Whereas, Blu-Ray discs have two layers of 25GB each, which adds upto 50GB. A substantial 66.67% higher capacity than HD-DVD. In fact Blu-Ray now has the ability to have 33.4GB layers instead of just 25GB, which brings the total capacity with two layers to 66.8GB, which is a whopping 122.67% greater capacity than the piddly 30GB that an absolete HD-DVD can store. Most importantly, a simple firmware update to existing players will make them compatible with the higher capacity 66.8GB Blu-ray discs. Oh! By the way, this does not even take into account that Blu-Ray has the ability to add multiple layers. In January 2007, Hitachi demoed a 100 GB Blu-ray Disc, consisting of four layers containing 25 GB each, which work on standard Blu-ray drives with a simple firmware update. TDK,in August 2006, had demoed discs, that have upto six, 33.4GB layers for a total capacity of 200GB and 'Ritek' at CES 2007 had announced they had already developed BDs with a capacity of 250GB, consisting of ten layers of 25GB each. In December 2008, Pioneer Corporation unveiled a
400 GB Blu-ray Disc (containing 16 data layers, 25 GB each) that will be compatible with current players after a firmware update. Its planned launch is in the 201011 time frame for ROM and 201113 for rewritable discs.
Ongoing development is under way to create a 1 TB Blu-ray Disc as soon as 2013.
PS: The maximum that HD-DVD was ever able to claim, was that they had developed a disc with three layers & with a total capacity of 51GB. But that's all it remained, a claim that is, for they never even demoed the product.
same resolution for audio and video
The resolution capabilities of a particular media, is limited only by its capacity to store data and by the data transfer rate that the media is capable of. Thus, although by BDA and HD-DVD specifications, both technologies currently are defined to have a top resolution of 1920x1080 24p/30p/60i resolution, the fact is that with Blu-Ray's much higher data capacity and higher data transfer rate, it is quite capable of even higher resolutions. This fact is borne out by the recent addition of 3D to the Blu-Ray specs. Wherein, the resolution for a movie in 3D will be '1920*1080 120p'. Basically there will be two seperate, simultaneous video streams of '1920*1080 60p' for each eye. This is something that would have been impossible if we had been saddled with the obsolete and far inferior HD-DVD.
making them identical from A/V quality purposes.
Blu-Ray has a maximum total data transfer rate of 54 Mbit/s
HD-DVD has a maximum data transfer rate of 36 Mbit/s
Blu-Ray has a maximum AV bitrate of 48 Mbit/s (for both audio and video data)
HD-DVD has a maximum AV bitrate of 30.24 Mbit/s (for both audio and video data)
Blu-Ray has a maximum video bitrate of 40 Mbit/s.
HD-DVD has a maximum video bitrate of 29.4 Mbit/s.
Keeping the bitrate figures in mind, in addition to the capacity issues and the fact that ultimately these two in conjuction determine A/V quality, I am sure you can see how clearly wrong it is to state that both formats are equal in terms of A/V quality and that, Blu-Ray's technical superiority, translates into it being definately far superior than HD-DVD in terms of A/V quality.
Bluray has a lot of other stupidities that people call as features.
The so called 'stupidities' that you refer to, are first of all an issue of personal choice. Secondly, it is the implementation of such features that you can find fault with, but not the inherent technology that allows for such features to exist.
You yourself described nicely, its still developing, meaning its not yet fully developed after launching it to the consumers close to 5-6 years ago!!!
What is wrong with further development? Are you suggesting that the automobile industry is "not yet fully developed" simply because they continue to add features and functions thru further development. All good technologies allow room for further development, that does not mean they are not complete or usable in their existing form. In fact, the single biggest problem with HD-DVD is that it is only a small incremental improvement of the outdated and already saturated DVD technology. Blu-Ray is even greater due to this very fact that there is still lots of room to further develop the technology and format. Something that it shares with another of Sony's products the PS3. Unlike the other gaming consoles, the Sony PS3 continues to develop and add new features and functions, almost 3 & 1/2 yrs after it was first introduced.
PS: Blu-Ray was launched May 2006, that is 4 yrs ago.
It has the stupid drm, hdcp protection which werent there in hd-dvd, these are not consumer friendly features. I cant even backup the thing...
Like I said earlier, your problem is not with the technology, but rather the implementation of certain features. You might not realize this, but without these features, there are atleast two major studios, Disney & Fox, that absolutely refused to release their films in digital 1920x1080 24p. Thus HD-DVD, actually never really stood a real chance since these two studios along with Sony owned Columbia Pictures & MGM would never have released movies for it.
I cant even backup the thing...
Yes you can. Or shall I say, you shall be able to, in the near future. There is something called 'BD Managed Copy', which will launch sometime this year (2010). It will enable consumers to make atleast one copy of any legitimate Blu-ray Disc. In the meantime too, if you really want to make a copy, there are ways to do so.
And the bd-live and java interface, dont even talk about it.. how long does it take to load a java heavy disk.. after 5 years, its still above a minute
Once again, this is more of an issue with the implementation, rather than the technology itself. In any case, if you don't like the load times, I suggest you dump the cheapo players and buy a decent player, i.e. 'Oppo BD-83' or 'Sony PS3'. In any case, the load times will keep improving in even the cheaper players as the companies start using faster processors as they get cheaper with time. It's funny how people want quality, but they don't want to pay for it.
its such a pain. every few months u have to do a f/w upgrade. they launch new disks for which f/w upgrade is not yet available. Imagine buying a brand new disk for 35$ and cant see the movie because the manufacturer hasnt released an upgrade.
HD-DVD too had to face these very issues and it was certainly not immune to them. In fact, firmware updates is now well entrenched into all kinds of 'advanced' modern electronics and which is something, we all will have to learn to live with. Personally, I don't neccesarily think of this as a negative. In fact I think it is great, for two major reasons. For one, it allows for newer products to hit retail a lot sooner, since the company can always iron out the slight problems with firmware updates. Secondly, it allows companies to continously add features and functions to existing products, thus adding immense value to them. A perfect example is the PS3. For those that do not like firmware updates, I suggest you all new technologies for atleast the first few years.
PS: Firmware compatibility issues is something that even DVDs, although very infrequently, fourteen yrs after their launch are still not immune from.
Also, the winner of the two tech wasnt decided by the consumer, but by the movie companies siding with bluray rather than hd-dvd.
Now, this is an entirely debatable issue and one that would require a whole thread of it's own. All I will say, is regardless of how, for once, the better technology / product won. Which by the way is actually quite a rare thing in the consumer electonics industry.
