HD DVD And HD DVD Formats

HD DVD stands to be the successor to the ever popular standard DVD format, which has become the de facto medium in the distribution of movies, as well as computer software applications, as well as games for DVD enabled gaming consoles.

The name HD DVD stands for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc. HD DVD formats had been previously named the Advanced Optical Disc, or the AOD. The specification of HD DVD formats are 1.0 for HD DVD-ROM, and 0.9 for HD DVD Rewritable. The first of HD DVD-ROM drives were introduced into the market in the last quarter of 2006, while the first HD DVD Recorders or Burners were released in Japan in mid 2007.

HD DVD formats are practically derived from the same technology which sired the standard DVD into the world. It is basically the result of a joint development project between NEC and Toshiba, and is supported by the DVD Forum, the original developers of the DVD technology. The DVD Forum voted to support HD DVD as the high definition successor to the regular DVD, as it is perfect for the distribution and storage of high definition movies.

HD DVD formats stand to “out-store” standard DVDs, as HD DVD discs could store the contents of three standard DVDs. A standard DVD disc could easily store up to 4.7 gigabytes of data, with dual-layer DVD discs capable of storing up to 8.5 gigabytes of data. HD-DVDs, on the other hand, have 15 gigabyte storage capacities, with dual layer HD DVD formats capable of storing up to 30 gigabytes of data. Similar to the standard DVD format, HD DVDs have a data layer of 0.6 mm below the disc’s surface, which leaves it being physically protected from damage. The numerical aperture of the optical pick-up head of a standard DVD is 0.6, while that of HD DVD formats is 0.65.

The impressive storage capacity of HD DVD discs, along with the successful utilization of advanced audio and video codec technologies, define them as perfect for the distribution of high definition movies, supporting resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080p. Surround sound support reaches up to 7.1 surround sound channel setups, ideally complementing the eye-popping high picture quality which HD DVD formats naturally could handle.

All players capable of handling HD DVD formats have backward compatibilities with standard DVDs and CDs.

HD DVD formats are fast becoming the preferred choice when talking about high definition movies, surely on their way to their intended inception as the next generation of DVD technology.