Paramount to drop HD DVD for Blu-ray

[Mavs Man]

God I hate all of this digital technology. I cannot keep up with it. Can someone educate me please? I always thought Blu-ray is HD just branded differently. So Blu-ray is totally different technology then? Like the difference between VHS and Beta back in the day?

If HD is on the decline why are stations broadcasting in HD rather than Blu-ray? (You can insert laughter here if you want. I am sure that's a dumb question and I just don't know it yet.)

It looks like it's time to get on Google for more info because I was about to buy a HD DVD player. I swear no sooner do you buy something and it's suddenly obsolete.

Both formats are HD-DVD; the difference is storage capacity and the way the discs are read.

From the Blu-ray website:

2. Why is the format called Blu-ray Disc?

The name Blu-ray came from the fact that the laser beam which reads the data from the new discs is blue instead of red which is used for current DVDs and CDs. This new blue laser is at the heart of Blu-ray Disc technology (i.e. blue ray of light).

 

[Duane]

God I hate all of this digital technology. I cannot keep up with it. Can someone educate me please? I always thought Blu-ray is HD just branded differently. So Blu-ray is totally different technology then? Like the difference between VHS and Beta back in the day?

If HD is on the decline why are stations broadcasting in HD rather than Blu-ray? (You can insert laughter here if you want. I am sure that's a dumb question and I just don't know it yet.)

It looks like it's time to get on Google for more info because I was about to buy a HD DVD player. I swear no sooner do you buy something and it's suddenly obsolete.

HDTV and HD DVD are two totally different animals.

Both Blu-ray and HD DVD are similar in that they provide high definition DVDs but the technology to do so is different. So you're getting a similar product but one won't play on the other's DVD player.

HDTV isn't affected at all by the decision to go one way or the other with DVD formats.

 

[SweetDC]

Thanks guys for the quick tutorial. I think I get it now. It seems it's like the difference between CD+R/DVD+R and CD-R/DVD-R. Both perform the same function but do it with different technology.

I am on a steep learning curve when it comes to new technology and electronics. As the only child to elderly parents, my parents rely on me as their one-stop shop for all of their tech needs. Oy-vey, they have no idea what I go through to digest all the necessary information.