HD DVD

HD DVD
Data side of an HD DVD
Media typeHigh-density optical disc
EncodingVC-1, H.264, and MPEG-2
Capacity15 GB (single layer)
30 GB (dual layer)
Read mechanism405 nm laser:
1× @ 36 Mbit/s & 2× @ 72 Mbit/s
Write mechanism405 nm laser:
1× @ 36 Mbit/s & 2× @ 72 Mbit/s
Developed by
UsageData storage, 1080p high-definition video
Extended fromDVD, DVD-Video
ReleasedMarch 31, 2006 (2006-03-31)
DiscontinuedMarch 28, 2008 (2008-03-28)
(1 year, 11 months and 28 days)

HD DVD (short for High Density Digital Versatile Disc)[1] is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video.[2][3][4][5][6] Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format, but lost out to Blu-ray, which was supported by Sony and others.

HD DVD employed a blue laser with a shorter wavelength (with the exception of the 3× DVD and HD REC variants), and it stored about 3.2 times as much data per layer as its predecessor (maximum capacity: 15 GB per layer compared to 4.7 GB per layer on a DVD). The format was commercially released in 2006 and fought a protracted format war with its rival, the Blu-ray Disc. Compared to the Blu-ray Disc, the HD DVD was released earlier by a quarter year, featured a lower capacity per layer (compared to 25 GB of Blu-ray), but saved manufacturing costs by allowing existing DVD manufacturing equipment to be repurposed with minimal modifications, and movie playback was not restricted through region codes.[7]

On February 19, 2008, Toshiba abandoned the format,[8] announcing it would no longer manufacture HD DVD players and drives.[2] The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved on March 28, 2008.[9]

The HD DVD physical disc specifications (but not the codecs) were used as the basis for the China Blue High-definition Disc (CBHD) formerly called CH-DVD.

Besides recordable and rewritable variants, a HD DVD-RAM variant was proposed as the successor to the DVD-RAM and specifications for it were developed,[10] but the format never reached the market.

  1. ^ HD-DVD (High Density Digital Versatile Disk) – blue laser optical disk. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Moses, Asher (February 20, 2008). "No refunds for HD DVD early adopters". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  3. ^ Alternative Uses for your soon to be obsolete HD-DVD Player Archived September 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Format Wars Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  5. ^ HD DVD owners 'anger' over obsolete players Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Top 10 Things to Do with your now Defunct HD-DVD Player Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "HD-DVD versus Blu-ray Disc (BD)". somacon. The manufacturing process of HD-DVD requires little new investment to existing DVD processes, making the format cheaper to the consumer.
  8. ^ "Toshiba drops HD DVD". The Guardian. February 19, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  9. ^ and the HD DVD Promotion Group officially dissolves in a high-res burst of tears (Engadget, March 28, 2008)
  10. ^ DVD FLLC - DVD Format Book (As of September 30, 2007)

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