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Thursday, December 9, 2004

The post-DVD world: HD DVD vs Blu-ray

According to this WSJ story (subscription required), Disney has chosen Sony's new high definition post-DVD format called Blu-ray in contrast to the choice of three other movie houses who've picked Toshiba's HD DVD format.

Bob Chapek, president of Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment, said the studio's decision was based on its belief that Blu-ray will provide a superior experience for consumers. He thinks the interractivity, in particular, is better on Blu-ray, allowing commentary or game-playing overlaid onto the movie.

"Right now, in the world of DVD, the orbit of movie and the orbit of bonus feature never intersect," says Mr. Chapek. "Our goal is to dissolve the line ... letting the consumer get more deeply involved in the movie."

Disney's move sets the scene for a battle over consumers akin to the early 1980s battle between Sony Corp.'s Betamax and Victor Corp.'s VHS videocasette formats. VHS won, leaving Sony determined not to lose out this time around. But Mr. Chapek says a major factor was the fact that a lot of major consumer-electronics manufacturers have lined up with Blu-ray. "If one only looks at the alignment of studios, you're making a mistake understanding where the strength lies," he says. "You have to have hardware and software."

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