Although
the high definition optical format camps are divided into two, they both share
many of the same characteristics. Both formats support nearly identical video
and audio codecs and when all things being equal, should deliver identical
experiences.
Aside
from movie studio exclusives support, the main differentiating factor between
the formats is storage space. In their current market iterations, Blu-ray Discs
hold a 20GB advantage with its dual-layer 50GB media when compared to HD DVD’s
dual-layer 30GB discs.
Sony
realizes this distinct advantage, and is committing to rolling
out 80 percent of all its forthcoming Blu-ray titles as 50GB discs, according
to Video Business.
When transferring a film onto Blu-ray, compression engineers may
utilize the extra 20GB to attain higher bit rate video and to accommodate
lossless audio streams. While many dual-format releases of late, such as The
Departed, feature identical video streams encoded with the same codec,
engineers recognize that the added space afforded by Blu-ray can be spent to
improve quality.
The encoders responsible for Nine Inch Nails: Beside You In Time,
released on both HD DVD and Blu-ray acknowledges the difference. On the
difference between the HD DVD and Blu-ray versions of the concert, a FAQ document on the NIN Web site
reads, “Technically speaking, the video quality of the Blu-ray version has a
slight edge over the HD DVD: It was encoded at a slightly higher bit rate due
to the Blu-ray spec's higher bandwidth capabilities for encoded video streams.
However, this difference is nominal and would only be noticeable by a pair of
well-trained eyes on an extremely expensive professional 1080P monitor.”
No matter how indistinguishable the differences 20GB may make, Sony
is keen on using every bit of that extra space to prove its superiority over HD
DVD.
“It’s important, especially in this phase, that we make sure we are
showing the absolute best quality in video and audio, and 50GB accomplishes
that,” said Sony worldwide president David Bishop.