The only option available currently for high definition DVDs is the Blu-ray disc. Before this, there was another competitor that aimed for the same position Blu-ray holds now.

The alternative to Blu-Ray was HD DVD, the format promoted by the company Toshiba. Sony and Toshiba fought for years for the high definition format. At the beginning of 2008, it was clear that Blu-ray would succeed.

This uncertainty was caused by the fact that major distributors and producers offered both mutual and exclusive support to HD DVD or Blu-ray. The industry market share was cut almost right down the middle.

HD DVD and Blu-ray share many similarities. They have the same wavelength of laser, which is a blue-violet one. Blu-ray discs have higher memory but still function closely to HD DVDs.

Another advantage Blu-ray possesses is speed. Blu-ray discs have a bit rate over 30% faster than HD DVDs.

It was not the physical differences that determined the winner of the format war. In early 2008, Warner Bros. decided to abandon the HD DVD format, and since they control the largest portion of the DVD market, this severely hurt Toshiba. Other studios followed Warner Bros. example, and soon HD DVD was left with too few titles to compete with Blu-ray.

When Sony announced that the upcoming next generation console Playstation 3 would come standard with a Blu-ray player, the format war was decided. Since so many people were planning on buying the PS3, this announcement clinched the battle.

HD DVDs are no longer sold in stores, nor are HD DVD players. For the majority of people, this shouldn’t be a problem as Blu-ray is a superior format to HD DVD.