Versatile Disc

Those of our readers who trend towards the tech-geeky end of the spectrum may already be familiar with the DVD format war that is currently raging behind the scenes in the entertainment industry, regarding which next-generation DVD format — HD-DVD or Blu-Ray — will be the widely-adopted standard. Well, it would seem U2 have indirectly been caught up in it, as Paramount Studios has pledged to reissue U2: Rattle And Hum in their first wave of HD-DVD titles.

(For those who need a cheat sheet — the Blu-Ray format, developed by Sony, has a higher capacity and is being widely adopted by video-game developers; but the HD-DVD format, designed by Toshiba, is a step ahead in terms of cornering the motion-picture market, with more studios in its stable. Brace yourself, this might get nasty.)

2 thoughts on “Versatile Disc

  1. Chris
    Since I’ve been in the A/V business 20 yrs. I appreciate your precise breakdown of the format wars. Need a job?
    Seriously, R and H in glorious HD has been shown several times on Comcast and we’ve recorded it in HD on the Comcast DVR in our store. I can watch it in our theatre room. It’s an overwhelming experience. Hope to see Slane and Boston transferred as well.
    The holy grail would be a direct digital recording from HD cameras of a Bomb show. Or how about a live HD concert!

  2. Chris
    Since I’ve been in the A/V business 20 yrs. I appreciate your precise breakdown of the format wars. Need a job?
    Seriously, R and H in glorious HD has been shown several times on Comcast and we’ve recorded it in HD on the Comcast DVR in our store. I can watch it in our theatre room. It’s an overwhelming experience. Hope to see Slane and Boston transferred as well.
    The holy grail would be a direct digital recording from HD cameras of a Bomb show. Or how about a live HD concert!

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