The Basics Of HD DVD Video

There is a new talk of the town; actually it’s been around for quite some time. But the debate over which format will win has definitely caused a big wave. HD DVD, a term most people are not really alien about, is what causes this tsunami of preference. Get to know more about HD DVD and learn how it will change conventional video DVDs.

Imagine the time when you watched a three hour movie with the classic VCD or video CD. Normally, you would change the CD and pop in the next, a three hour movie takes up three CDs. Automatic CD changers came to the scene to address the issue of uninterruptible movie watching. And then came DVD or digital versatile disc, DVD literally shrunk long running videos that took several CDs and fuse it in a single disk. But see people can’t get enough with movies and DVDs. A new technology that goes by the name of HD DVD has allowed more video file size to be stored. And that means more movies in just one disk!

HD DVD stands for high definition DVD. It’s been referred to as the high-density media disc made entirely to allow more storage for byte-hungry data and the new high-def video. High definition video is referring to video formats with above-ordinary resolutions. This means videos are crispier, sharper, brighter and more true-to-life picture quality. It’s a new standard that’s been employed by movie makers, TV broadcasters and video enthusiasts. And since high definition video eats up a lot of space, HD DVD was created for this.

HD DVD is built on the fundamentals of DVD. A DVD typically can hold 4.7 gigabytes of files in just one layer. HD DVD triples this with 15 gigabytes on each layer. That’s triple the capacity of the ordinary DVD. HD DVD is actually a joint effort by NEC and Toshiba. Originally project-named the AOD or Advanced Optical Disc, developers and the DVD forums decided to name the DVD successor “HD DVD”. It is currently on a format rivalry with Blu-Ray Disc, another high capacity optical media disc.

But will all the hype that is brought about by HD DVD, will this mean new players to be purchased? Manufacturers are now offering backward compatibility that will allow DVD users to play a variety of optical disk formats. In spring of 2007, America bought around 100,000 HD DVD compatible players which means that HD DVD is really doing good. HD DVD will definitely change the way people watch DVD movies, imagine, with just a single disc, you can have hours and hours of movie marathon.