Blu Ray vs HD DVD War Has Run And Won

"When DVD first launched it was anything but the perfect product," said Andy Parsons, Pioneer executive and chairman of the Blu Ray Disc Association. "There were many doubters that said there was little chance of overtaking VHS."

Now, he said, the same thing is happening with Blu Ray, the natural evolution in audio-video technology. The Blu Ray vs HD DVD format war finally ended when the entertainment giants changed sides and Toshiba announced that it would no longer be manufacturing the HD DVD player. Some buyers are left wondering: Is it really worth it?

Unfortunately, the other major difference between the Blu Ray vs HD DVD players is price. You could purchase the XBox360 HD DVDs upgrade accessory for $130 and a stand-alone player for as low as $150. Sure, you could buy those super fancy combo players for nearly $1,000, but the average offering was as affordable as a regular DVD player.

However, the victorious Blu Ray players are currently retailing at over $499, with $399 PlayStation3s being the cheapest way to get the BR technology. There is one other relatively inexpensive option for buyers: you can get the Denon DVD-1730 up-converting DVD player that is compatible with Blu Ray discs for less than $300.

Some advocates see the Blu Ray disc player as training wheels for the technologically illiterate. "We can use HD discs to train consumers to move into digital, but it's a transition," explains Dan Silverberg, vice president of high-definition media development at Warner Bros.

"Downloaded content will come, but the consumer will get quicker tutorials into video-on-demand, etc. by owning a Blu-ray player or HD DVD." While the Blu Ray vs HD DVD war is officially over, the Blu Ray vs. downloading war may have just begun.

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