Blu Ray vs HD DVD?

...it's all being decided now. In passing earlier in the trimester I made reference to Blu-Ray technology (what is it?, or here)which is to replace the traditional DVD. The article mentioned below suggests that Blu-Ray might be losing the battle not because it's not the better technology.

From The New York Times:

"The competition between Blu-ray and HD DVD has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Until recently, many consumers were able to defer the choice because players have been so expensive. But prices have been slashed by about half -- Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray player now sells for $499, and Toshiba Corp.'s cheapest HD DVD player sells for $299, with both likely to include as many as five free movies as an incentive...

Andy Parsons, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association trade group, questioned the studios' decision to adopt HD DVD over Blu-ray, saying price differences between players have diminished in recent months. He said the trend ''is on its way to eliminating any perceived cost advantage the HD DVD format has claimed to have.''

Blu-ray discs can hold more data -- 50 gigabytes compared with HD DVD's 30 GB -- but the technology requires new manufacturing techniques and factories, boosting initial costs.

HD DVDs, on the other hand, are essentially DVDs on steroids, meaning movie studios can turn to existing assembly lines to produce them in mass.

Studios and retailers have been choosing sides in recent months."

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