Just the Facts: Blu-Ray and HD-DVD
 

As the thread title suggests, this thread will only contain facts about the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats. Leave your opinions at the door. If you have any additional information that you feel needs to be added, please post it and I will add it to this first post. That way, we can collect all the information at one source rather than having to search for it separately.

Blu-Ray

Official Site: www.blu-raydisc.com

Launch Date: May 23, 2006

Technical

Max Capacity per Layer: 25 GB

Max Resolution: 1080p

Max Bandwidth: 54 Mbit/s

Video Codecs:
MPEG-2: MP@HL and MP@ML
MPEG-4 AVC: MPEG-4 AVC: [email protected]/4.0 and [email protected]/4.0/3.2/3.1/3.0
SMPTE VC-1: AP@L3 and AP@L2

Max Bitrate: 40Mbps

HD
1920x1080x59.94-i, 50-i (16:9)
1920x1080x24-p, 23.976-p (16:9)
1440x1080x59.94-i, 50-i (16:9) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1440x1080x24-p, 23.976-p (16:9) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1280x720x59.94-p, 50-p (16:9)
1280x720x24-p, 23.976-p (16:9)

SD
720x480x59.94-i (4:3/16:9)
720x576x50-i (4:3/16:9)

Audio Codec:
Linear PCM
Max Bitrate: 27.648Mbps
Max Channel: 8(48kHz, 96kHz), 6(192kHz)
bits/sample: 16, 20, 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz

Dolby Digital
Max Bitrate: 640kbps
Max Channel: 5.1
bits/sample: 16 - 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz

Dolby Digital Plus
Max Bitrate: 4.736Mbps
Max Channel: 7.1
bits/sample: 16 - 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz

Dolby TrueHD
Max Bitrate: 18.64Mbps
Max Channel: 8(48kHz, 96kHz), 6(192kHz)
bits/sample: 16 - 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz

DTS Digital Surround
Max Bitrate: 1.524Mbps
Max Channel: 5.1
bits/sample: 16, 20, 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz

DTS-HD
Max Bitrate: 24.5Mbps
Max Channel: 8(48kHz, 96kHz), 6(192kHz)
bits/sample: 16 - 24
Sampling Frequency: 48kHz, 96kHz, 192kHz

Content

Pricing: $20.29 - $27.99

HD Over Component: Studio Defined (ICT)

Supporting Studios:
Fox
Lions Gate
MGM
Paramount
Sony Pictures
Warner Brothers
Walt Disney

Adult Studios:



Regional Coding
Region 1: The Americas and East Asia (excluding China but including Japan)
Region 2: Europe and Africa
Region 3: Russia, China and Others

Players

Pioneer
BDP-HD1

Samsung
BD-P1000

Sony
BDP-S1
Purchase from Amazon.com



HD-DVD

Official Site: www.hddvdprg.com

Launch Date: April 18, 2006

Technical

Max Capacity per Layer: 15 GB

Max Resolution: 1080p

Max Bandwidth: 36.55 Mbit/s

Video Codecs:
MPEG-2
MPEG-4 AVC
VC-1

Audio Codecs:
Linear PCM
Dolby TrueHD [2-ch]
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital Plus
DTS
DTS-HD (optional)
MPEG Audio

Content

Pricing: $19.99 - $23.99

HD Over Component: Studio Defined (ICT)

Supporting Studios:
Paramount
Universal
Warner Brothers

Adult Studios:


Regional Coding
None agreed upon yet.


Links

HD-DVD
HD DVD A technical discussion
HD DVD-Video Guideline for Player and Content
Requirements Specification for HD DVD Video Application
HD-DVD White Paper
Amazon HD-DVD Store

Blu-Ray
Blu-Ray Format Definition
Blu-Ray Audio Visual Specs
Amazon Blu-Ray Store
Blu-Ray Live

Other
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray FAQ
HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Release Calendar

LOL! Great minds think alike:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=451129
I beat you by a few minutes!

I won't have a FAQ, per se, but more of just technical data. I'd rather not write out paragraphs and just give the facts. ;)

:hscratch:
so what is the difference between the 2 faq threads?

This thread has all the official technical facts. If you want to know about the audio codecs being used, I have everything officially announced about them in that first post. I don't expect Qui Jon Jim to go into as much detail on the technical side, but more of an overview. Joe6Pack doesn't necessarily want to know what the bit rate being used for DTS-HD is going to be, but audio/videophiles and like probably do. Qui Jon Jim doesn't have to comment on the sample rate, or bit rate, or anything that technical. He'll probably just mention that they are using DTS-HD.

I stuck these both, as I don't really see one thread (right now)... We'll get a moderator for this area (right now it's just the admins) and maybe they can work with someone getting a single "official" thread or something, but for now I guess josh and Qui Gon can duel it out with their threads ;)

Just one question;
Where does it say the HD DVD will support 1080p? Because I have only seen 1080i...

The original specifications only called for 720p. Once Blu-Ray announced they were going with 1080p, HD-DVD announced that they too would support that resolution. As of right now, its not very clear if HD-DVD will be mastered in this resolution, but the last official word on the subject was that HD-DVD would support 1080p.

It appears you are correct. A post from Iansilv at AVS:

From looking at the specs of the first Toshiba player...
 

...They're not going to get much in the way of supporters if their HD-DVD player only support 720-line progressive scan and 1080-line interlaced scan for now. With the rapid arrival of 1080-line progressive scan rear-projection TV's over the next year, Blu-Ray's support for 1080-line progressive scan output will mean better picture quality, to say the least.

The HD-DVD group has been very vague about what the final encoding process will be. On all their promotional material, they indicate that they will support the "highest quality HDTV [1920x1080]". Now, you will notice that they did not indicate whether that is interlaced or progressive.

What we do know, is that the first players from both sides of the war will only be supporting 1080i. We know that Blu-Ray will be introducing 1080p players this Summer, and we know all movie content will be encoded at 1080p. We don't know when or if a 1080p player will come out for HD-DVD, or if HD-DVD movies will even be encoded at this level.

Its not physically impossible for HD-DVD to have 1080p, but until they come out and say they will only encode at 720p, I'll leave it up. I will add an *.

I am sorry, but you are wrong. The Pioneer and samsung player (which comes out in april ) will also output 1080p

Ok. You have so links? There is no pride associated with this post, its all about the info. If you have it, please share.

sorry you are right;
From;
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/01...sung/index.php
CES: Samsung to launch Blu-ray Disc player in April

By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will get a jump on its competitors by launching a Blu-ray Disc player in April this year, it said Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Most other Blu-ray Disc supporters that have talked about shipping dates have set mid-2006 targets, so the Samsung machine currently stands to be the first to market. Toshiba Corp. is planning to launch two players that support HD-DVD, the competing format to Blu-ray Disc, in March this year.

The BD-P1000 player will cost US$1,000 and will be able to output high-definition video on an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) at 720p and 1080i (720 lines progressive scanning and 1,080 lines interlaced scanning) resolutions. That’s the same as the Toshiba players and means that both first-generation high-definition optical disc players won’t be able to output a signal at 1080p, which is considered the best of several high-definition picture standards.

Samsung didn’t implement 1080p support in the interest of speeding up development.

“It allows us to get to market quicker, and so as we look at future models we’ll look at 1080p output,” said Jim Sanduski, senior vice president of marketing for Samsung Electronics America Inc.’s digital and audio products group, speaking to reporters at CES.

For the full 1080p picture, consumers will have to wait until the middle of the year for Pioneer Corp. to launch a Blu-ray Disc player. It will cost US$1,800, the company said Wednesday.

Samsung’s April launch could be delayed if BD Java, the standard for interactive features on Blu-ray Discs, isn’t completed in time.

“BD Java is one thing that is still being worked out. The timetable, as I understand it, is late March,” said Sanduski. “So that’s why [our timetable is] end of April. We think we can do it.”
I apoligize.

No problem. I did find out by digging through the HD-DVD site that HD-DVD is to support video up 1080p. Though, it is up to the content providers to choose between 1080i and 1080p support (the material suggested the 1080i format pretty heavily).

These numbers don't seem right. The video bitrates can't possibly be that low.

Also, you might want to fix some of the audio stuff. "Dolby Lossless" is called "Dolby TrueHD". Your listing for "MLP" on HD-DVD is, i think, acutually Dolby TrueHD (and it supports more than 2-ch). Maybe also indicate which are mandatory and which are optional?

I think you are right. There are in there, but I think I misinterpreted what they were trying to say.

I also agree that "Dolby Lossless" is probably Dolby TrueHD. MLP is specifically listed as a "[2-ch]" audio right next to LPCM in the HD-DVD specs, so while I agree with you that it is Dolby TrueHD, I will keep the 2-ch designation. If you take a look at the two toshiba players for sale, they both say "Dolby TrueHD (2-ch)".

I also amended the HD-DVD listing to show that DTS-HD is optional. Thanks for the help.

I still haven't been able to find a definitive answer to this: will films/tv programmes shot at 25 fps or 24fps be replayed at their correct speed? Or will there still be a situation similar to the current PAL speedup/NTSC slowdown?

That will depend on how they are encoded. You will notice that Blu-Ray (at least) supports it:

1920x1080x24-p, 23.976-p (16:9)

If they encode at that rate, depends on the company distributing the programming.

I know HD-DVD is going to be compatible with current DVD's, will Blu-Ray also be supporting current DVD's?

Neither format is compatible with DVDs. Both will have to incorporate a DVD laser (red) and HD-DVD or Blu-Ray laser (blue). With that said, I would be extremely surprised if any company released a player that didn't play DVDs.

I thought that HD used a red laser...

Nope. That was the thought in the very, very early days, but the DVD Forum agreed on a blue laser at least as far back as November 2003.

The blue Laser is thanks to the format war. When HD-dvd was just announced a few years ago it was strickly red laser. BR added blue and they had to play catch up.

BTW, I didn't see it posted, and figure it's important to know before throwing a lot of cash down on something, some of the early BR PC drives don't have a laser for cds.

I see. I knew at some point it was red since one of their selling bullets was backwards compatibility with DVD and CD. They'll have to include a seperate red laser for that purpose then.