Now that the decision between Blu-ray and HD-DVD is behind us, we're running out of reasons as to why Hi-Def discs should be avoided. The "wait and see" attitude most of us have taken over the past couple of years has now expired with the recent Blu-ray victory. Warner's move to the Blu-ray camp earlier this year spelled the end to the HD-DVD effort.

Entertainment releases are moving more and more to Blu-ray for the obvious revenue generation reasons that benefit the rights holder. Standard definition DVD releases will continue as long as Blu-ray's market share remains low. Once Blu-ray player penetration reaches critical mass, the pendulum will swing quickly.

For the corporate world, standard definition DVD is still the clear market leader. Corporations still state, "we never asked for HD" as a common response when questioned about any impending transition to High Definition. Don't forget that corporations would need to shoot and edit in HD if they want to take full advantage of Blu-ray offerings. For many companies, that would be a budget buster.

Let's not forget the advantages of HD media - it offers greater storage capacity, higher quality video, and the ability for more interactive features than standard DVD. If visual quality is at the heart of your presentation, then perhaps it's time for you to take a harder look at HD.

The bigger concern facing Blu-ray HD media is the lack of compatible players. High definition media does not play in standard DVD players. It requires a special player and a high-definition display to get the maximum benefit from the medium. The battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray delayed most consumers' consideration of any purchase.

HDTV's are becoming more and more common. Recent estimates show that somewhere between 27 and 36 percent of US homes now have an HDTV, and surveys have shown that over half of US households plan to have one by the end of 2008. With the transition to digital signals for broadcasts in 2009, many people will be in the market for new televisions, and it's likely that a good percentage of them will make the transition then.

Sales of Blu-ray players are now increasing, and some project that they'll outsell DVD players in 2009. However, there is a large number of existing DVD players and it will take a good while for Blu-ray sales to outpace standard DVD. Some analyst's project that this will happen in 2012.

Of course, at VTI we offer Blu-ray high definition authoring, mastering and reproduction as well as all standard definition DVD work. Because we have the strong desire to stay on the "bleeding" edge, we are always early adopters.

Moving to HD media is a decision that will need to be made on a situational basis. It's clear that the market is heading towards HD, but it's still a long way from there. Standard DVD and HD are both good choices for different reasons at the moment.

Labels: blu-ray, hd media, hd-dvd, hdtv, hi-def, standard definition dvd