Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Note
For more information about BD, see
www.blu-raydisc.com
.
HD-DVD
HD-DVD, also known as
Advanced Optical Disc
(AOD), is a defunct optical disc format
originallydevelopedbyToshibaandNEC.HD-DVDwassimilartoBlu-ray(butnotcom-
patible) and used blue-laser technology to achieve a higher storage capacity.
The introduction of both HD-DVD and BD in 2006 started a format war similar to the
Betamax/VHS war in the 1970s. Both were incompatible, and both had supporters and
detractors. Blu-ray was arguably superior from a technological standpoint, but that means
little because in these situations external influences such as politics, marketing, and over-
all industry support decides what will become the de facto standard. By 2008, it had be-
come clear that BD was winning in overall market share, and this prompted several HD-
DVD supporters to switch to the Blu-ray camp, thus ending the war. The decline of HD-
DVD started near the end of 2007 when the largest U.S. video rental company (Block-
buster) declared it would only rent BDs. Then a major blow came in January 2008, when
Warner Brothers announced it would not release new movies in HD-DVD, which started
