Written by James Fohl

Around this time last year, I was talking about how I still used my VCR pretty much every day. You see, a year ago I could still go to my local Wal-Mart, and find a lot of VHS movies for around six dollars each. These were not older movies either, they were some what new releases. I bought a bunch of these video tapes, because the DVD versions of the same films were around ten dollars more.

Here I am a year later, and well a lot has changed. First off, it seems that I can not find new movies in the VHS format anywhere. The small selection of VHS video tapes my Wal-Mart had is now gone; replaced with yet another rack of DVD movies. Another thing that has changed is the fact that while last year, my Wal-Mart had three different VCR decks, I was completely shocked when I noticed that there were no VCR decks; only a couple combination DVD / VCR decks.

But then again, a lot has changed in my house too. My VCR is not even hooked up to my television right now, mostly due to the fact that new movies are not released in the VHS format anymore. Not only that, but I do not even have to use my VCR to record my favorite television shows anymore.

Instead of using a VCR to record my favorite television shows now, I either just buy from online from the iTunes music store for a modest two dollar fee, or I use my new DVD recorder to record the shows onto inexpensive DVD-R discs. A lot of people think it is kind of stupid to buy a television show from the iTunes music store for a couple of dollars, but I have to disagree for a variety of reasons.

Topping the list is convenience. All I have to do is start up the iTunes computer program, search for the television show, and with a couple ofclicks I am watching the show. If I choose to record the show to a DVD recordable disc, I have to mess with all the settings of the DVD recorder, and make sure I have a blank disc available. In the end, it just seems that the two dollar iTunes solution is much easier.

I still have my VHS video collection; probably over a hundred tapes now. I do not know exactly what I am going to do with these tapes though. I have not watched any for a couple of months now, and those new DVD rental services allow me to watch all the new movies I could want for the price of one DVD a month. So, instead of buying new movies on the DVD format, and since I can no longer buy new movies on the old VHS format, I simply go online to the Net Flix website, find the movies I want to see, and a couple days later I am watching the movies on my DVD
player.

Since I can keep the movies as long as I want, I am not rushed in to watching the DVDs, and ultimately it is kind of like I own the movies, since I usually only ever watch a movie once or twice (which is oddly enough the reason why I have not touched my VHS video collection for a couple of months).

Yes, it seems very odd that just a year ago I was bragging about how I preferred the old VHS video format over the DVD format. But, in a mere year all sorts of things have changed. I can no longer go out and purchase new movies for six dollars in the VHS format; heck, I can't even go out and purchase any newly released movie in the VHS format. Not only that, but instead of recording my favorite television shows on bulky, cheap VHS tapes, I have several options that I now use. In the end, I really do not use my VCR anymore for anything.

I want to say that I am going to start getting attached to my DVD player, but with the new HD DVD and Bluray formats coming from around the corner, I guess it is safe to say that the DVD format will probably also slowly start to fade in the next year or so. In the end, all I can say is goodbye VCR, you were great for so many years.

Written by James Fohl

Do you remember those old VHS tapes? Of course you did; for over twenty years, pretty much every Hollywood movie was released on this format. Then the DVD format came out in the mid 1990's, and although it took some time to take control of the United States market, by the year 2003 new movies were only being released on the DVD format.

It has not even been ten years since the first DVD players were released, but already the DVD format is getting ready to retire. It is not because its a faulty format, it is just because every body seems to be adopting high definition television sets, and the current DVD format does not really take full advantage of the high definition television sets.

As a result, a couple of new technologies are starting to emerge with the ultimate goal of taking over the DVD format, and becoming the video format kind. One of these new video formats is something called HD DVD, or High Definition DVD.

Don't think that just because the new format has DVD in the title that you will be able to use your regular DVD player to watch new HD DVD movies. You will need a new HD DVD player, and because they are such a new technology they are not going to be cheap; the first HD DVD players, made by Toshiba are going to be priced between five and eight hundred dollars.

Getting back on the subject, new HD DVD discs are the same size as regular DVDs and CDs. The only difference is the way that the data is written to the disc. Instead of holding 4.7 gigabytes of data like a regular DVD, HD DVDs can hold fifteen to thirty gigabytes of data on a single disc. While this may sound like a lot, it is important to consider the fact that high definition movies require more storage space as opposed to older DVDs; as a direct result, a regular high definition DVD can store around four hours of video, while a dual layer disc has the ability to hold around eight hours of video, or a standard Hollywood move along with several hours of bonus materials.

The very first home HD DVD players will be released near the end of March, and various model will retail for $599 and $799. The first batch of HD DVD movies are supposed to be on sale at the same time at a retail price of around twenty nine dollars. Companies supporting the new HD DVD format are trying to get the players and movies out the door as quick as possible, in hopes of gaining a large market share even before the first Bluray players are released. One of the major problems is the fact that a lot of movie studios are having problems getting their movies in the HD DVD format in time for the launch of the HD DVD players. As a result, there are not going to be as many titles available as once thought.

The competition between Bluray and the HD DVD format is starting to heat up. Hardware companies every where are pledging to support one format over another, while movie studios are being pressured to only release movies on one format. Because HD DVD players are going to be available long before Bluray players make it to the market, many people are considering HD DVD to be the number one format, even though HD DVD is considered to be technologically inferior to the Bluray format.

Being technologically inferior really does not matter though in the world of video entertainment. Betamax delivered a better picture over the VHS format that it had competed against in the early eighties, but VHS was still able to win that media war. VHS also fought against the LaserDisc in the eighties, which was superior in a vast variety of ways, but VHS still came out on top.

If the players behind HD DVD are able to market the HD DVD players correctly, then chances are they have a relatively high chance of winning the high definition video war against the Bluray format.

Written by James Fohl


If you are a fan of the digital age, then chances are that you tend to keep up with the information regarding the latest news in home entertainment. One of the biggest announcements in the past couple of years is the fact that new video formats are in the works, with the ultimate goal of replacing DVD as the movie media of choice. The reason why the DVD format is nearing the end of its life is because high definition television sets, which the DVD format can not take full advantage of.

One of the top contenders in this new media race is the Bluray disc. I did not spell that wrong, it is in face spelled Bluray, and not Blue Ray. Bluray is one of two major competitors in the media race, the other format is something called HD DVD. Bluray has been around since 2003, when the first Bluray recorders were shown to the public, however Blueray video players have yet to make it to the market.

Bluray gets its name because of the color of laser that is used when reading a Bluray disc. While normal CDs use a red laser, Bluray discs use a blue laser. But unlike other digital formats that utilize a blue laser, Bluray uses a laser with a much smaller wave length; one that is a mere four hundred and five nanometers, compared to CDs and DVDs that use a much wider wave length of six hundred and fifty nanometers for DVDs and seven hundred eighty nanometers for CDs.

While CDs can hold six hundred fifty megabytes on a single disc, and most DVDs hold around 4.7 gigabytes of information, a single layer Bluray disc can hold up to twenty seven gigabytes, while a dual layer disc can hold up to a massive fifty four gigabytes. While that sounds like a lot of computer data, when it translates into high definition video, a single layer Bluray disc will hold around four hours of high definition footage, while a dual layer disc will be able to hold up to eight hours of high definition video. The fifty four gigabyte discs however are not the limit. Bluray is a very new technology, and some companies are already displaying prototype discs that are capable of holding over one hundred gigabytes.

One of the funny things about the Bluray format is the fact that even though the discs are capable of holding so much information, they are the same size as regular DVDs and CDs. That means that if you put a new Bluray disc next to a DVD, you won't be able to tell which is which; it is kind of the same ordeal as when DVDs were first released, and how they were the same size as regular CDs.

One problem that is causing some problems with the Bluray format is the fact that the discs are very easily damaged. This is due to the fact that since the Bluray discs hold so much information, the data is written extremely close to the edges of the disc. Since the data is so tightly packed onto the disc, a small piece of dirt could easily make a Bluray disc unreadable. Because of this, the very early Bluray discs were encased in protective caddies that prevented the discs from being damaged. The caddies caused a lot of commotion in the video industry, and as a result Toshiba, one of the biggest supporters of the Bluray disc format created a special polymer coating that protected the discs from scratches. As a result of this polymer, the discs are now as relatively safe as normal DVDs and CDs.

As mentioned earlier, no Bluray video players are currently on the market. This is because Bluray discs are still expensive to produce; the cheapest Bluray movies will still cost nearly thirty US dollars. Because of the high cost of the Bluray discs, a lot of companies aren't jumping forward to support the format. The first Bluray players are expected to be released near the end of May, 2006 and are going to be very expensive when compared to DVD players.

Whether the Bluray format will succeed has yet to be determined. It's number one rival, the HD DVD is set to be released a couple months before Bluray is released, and will be a bit cheaper. Also more movies will initially be released in the HD DVD format. In the end, it will be the consumer's decision on which format succeeds, and which format fades away, like past video formats such as Betamax and Laser Disc.