Sony is the backer of Blu-Ray, and Toshiba backed HD DVD. However, to mark its defeat, Toshiba has stopped producing HD DVD players in February 2008, and it is likely that all other manufacturers will follow suit quickly, so that they can start developing Blu-Ray machines.

Toshiba has suffered as a result of this already, as it has had to lower its full-year profit forecast by 30%. Toshiba has also suffered a reduction in demand for its Nand memory chips, which are used in digital cameras, mobile phones and portable music players. Maybe the move to hard drive format is hitting Toshiba hard.

So, Blu-Ray has won the format wars. Already there are PC Blu-Ray players on the market for as little as GBP115.00, or GBP226.00 for home cinema Blu-Ray players, such as the Sony BDP-S300 – Blu-Ray DVD Player. This low-end Blu-Ray players allows you to enter the world of high-definition. This DVD player reads Blu-Ray discs and offers a 1080p Upscaling function via its HDMi connection, so you can enjoy sensational images that are unbelievably realistic. The HDMi port also delivers uncompressed 7.1 sound. The BDP-S300 player is equipped with x.v. Colour technology to improve colour quality as well as a Bravia Theatre Sync processor for perfect sound and image restitution on your HD ready or Full HD TV. The BDP-S300 also includes Dolby Digital and DTS audio decoders, ushering you into a new era of audiovisual entertainment!

So, time to sell those DVD’s on eBay while there is still a market, and start building your Blu-Ray Collection.

Imation and Verbatim have announced the availabiility of blank 8cm Blu-ray discs. The discs have a capacity of 7.5GB, and can store an hour of 1920x1080i video, or two hours of 1440x1080i. Two versions are available: BD-R is a one-shot recording medium, while BD-RE is erasable and rewritable.
Source: whathifi.com

If you cannot decide which format to go for, and you like to record home cinema as well as watch films, then maybe Blu-ray is the best option with the availability of Blu-ray camcorders.

	Sony HDR-SR5E 40GB High Definition Camcorder Buy new: £574.98 Usually dispatched within 24 hours
	Sony HDR-SR7E 60GB High Definition Camcorder Buy new: £759.99 Usually dispatched within 24 hours

Last week saw the HD DVD group proudly announcing that sales of HD DVD hardware have outstripped sales of Blu-ray hardware by three-to-one in Europe’s main markets so far this year. But surprise surprise, the Blu-ray camp isn’t prepared to take that lying down.

The Blu-ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee has reacted by saying that the HD DVD camp’s claims are ‘misleading and misrepresentative of the real and clear market trends in Europe’. Ouch. For while HD DVD does indeed have the sales advantage in the standalone player market for what the Blu-ray camp describe slightly amusingly as ‘several reasons’, if you look at the HD market as a whole things aren’t so simple. In other words, in the PC HD market, Blu-ray is apparently outselling HD DVD by two to one from a total sales figure of 24000 units so far in 2007. Plus the HD DVD claims didn’t include the Blu-ray sporting PS3, and when you factor that into the equation, the Blu-ray camp reckons its format actually accounts for almost 96 per cent of all next generation hardware sales. Source: Homecinemachoice

Samsung BD-P1000 – Blu Ray 1080P DVD Player £394.95	Toshiba HD-E1 HD DVD High Definition DVD Pl… £199.00	LiteOn HD-A760GX 250GB Hard Drive, Dual For…

Time will tell who comes out on top, but if we hark back the the Betamax v’s VHS v’s Video2000 wars, experience tells us that this battle could well go on for some time. Best not to wait for the victor if you want hi-def video, just pick one of the two. Toss a coin if need be. Check which films are available on each format, see which players are by preferred brands etc. It is unlikely that either Blu-ray or HD DVD will fail in the immediate future, so risk is minimal in the short to medium term (i.e. over the next 5 years). So dive in, and go Hi-Def today!