What is HD-DVD Media?
What Is HD DVD?
The future of DVD
Broadcasting is becoming digital. Demand for high-definition TVs is taking off. And consumers increasingly expect greater realism and better image quality in visual entertainment. HD DVD delivers that and more. It takes the best features of today's DVD- the most successful AV product ever- and adds new capabilities and greatly enhanced functionality. HD DVD is the future, a new standard for next-generation optical systems that delivers brilliant, high-definition performance. The way is open to an exciting new world of entertainment, and HD DVD is ready to take us there.
The only format approved by the DVD Forum
The DVD Forum develops and defines DVD formats. Its 230-strong membership brings together companies from all over the world, leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer electronics and software. In November 2003, the DVD Forum selected a single technology as the next-generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity, high definition optical discs- HD DVD. Now, HD DVD is poised to become the primary visual medium for the age of high-definition TV.
Designed to meet Hollywood's highest expectations
Quality and convenience quickly made DVD the medium of choice for Hollywood, to the point where U.S. sales of DVD outstrip movie theater revenues. HD DVD offers more: superior image quality and extended recording times that allow movie studios to create attractive products offering outstanding value. HD DVD's unsurpassed copyright protection, high-yield production and low replication costs have won high marks and broad support from Hollywood. With HD DVD, viewers can look forward to great resolution, dynamic contrast and vivid colors that bring the excitement and pleasure of the cinema into the home.
Main Features
Superb audio-visual capabilities
HD DVD delivers all the capacity necessary for all sorts of recorded content, including movies and live performances. There are two kinds of single-sided HD DVD discs for content playback: the 15GB single-layer disc, and the dual-layer disc with double the capacity, a full 30GB. Using the latest compression technologies, the 30GB disc can store up to 8 hours* of 1,125-line HD images. Today's DVD has a capacity of 4.7GB and can contain 2 hours of 525-line standard definition (SD) images; the 30GB HD DVD has space enough for 48 hours of SD images.
* Playback time depends on data transfer rate.
Bonus content and interactive functions
A 2-hour HD movie eats up 8GB of space. No problem for HD DVD. Even the lower capacity 15GB HD DVD-ROM can hold a complete movie and whole lot of bonus content: extra scenes, cast and director interviews, a " making-of " documentary. Alongside content, viewers will be able to enjoy new levels of interactivity that add to the entertainment experience.
Note: 95% of today's movies run within 132 minutes.
Superior quality HD images on HD DVD-Rewritable
The DVD Forum has defined the standard for a single-sided, single-layer HD DVD-Rewritable disc with 20GB capacity that can accommodate about 5.5 hours of HD content. And look for more capacity in the forthcoming single-sided, dual-layer disc.
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Prototype HD DVD drive |
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Advantages of common disc structure
The shared disc structure of HD DVD and DVD offers numerous advantages to consumers and manufacturers alike. Full backward compatibility allows consumers to enjoy their current DVD library and crystal-clear HD video on the same HD DVD player. DVD disc explicators can utilize their current production equipment with only minor modifications and quickly establish a worldwide manufacturing infrastructure to sustain HD DVD software business development. Moreover, the simple structure of a single-lens optical head that can accommodate both red and blue laser diodes will realize compact systems.
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Prototype HD DVD player |
Doing business with HD DVD
The resilient HD DVD disc has no need of a protective cartridge, allowing development of slim PC drives with a single-lens optical head. An HD DVD drive in a laptop will far surpass DVD as a storage medium for images, video and large volumes of data. Business can look forward to the ability to store and easily access data-rich AV presentations.
The Technology
Based on DVD technology
DVD and HD DVD share the same basic disc structure: back-to-back bonding of two 120mm diameter substrates, each 0.6mm thick. As a result, HD DVD combines advanced capabilities with essential backward compatibility. The HD DVD standard clearly promotes early and cost efficient disc and hardware production, and assures quality, availability, and marketability.
HD DVD and DVD specification
| DVD | HD DVD | |||
| Disc type | DVD-ROM (Read-Only) | HD DVD-ROM (Read-Only) | HD DVD-R (Recordable) | HD DVD-Rewritable (Recordable) |
| Disc diameter | 120mm | 120mm | 120mm | 120mm |
| Disc structure | 0.6mm x 2 substrates | 0.6mm x 2 substrates | 0.6mm x 2 substrates | 0.6mm x 2 substrates |
| Capacity (Single-sided, single-layer) (Single-sided, dual-layer) | 4.7GB,8.5GB | 15GB,30GB | 15GB | 20GB 32GB(Under development) |
| Playback time* Recording time* | 4.7GB, SD resolution: 132minutes 8.5GB, SD resolution: 238minutes | 15GB, HD resolution: over 4 hours 30GB, HD resolution: over 8 hours | 15GB, HD resolution: over 4 hours | 20GB, HD resolution: over 5.5 hours 32GB, HD resolution: over 8.5 hours |
| Laser Wavelength | 650nm (red laser) | 405nm (blue laser) | 405nm (blue laser) | 405nm (blue laser) |
| Compression technology | MPEG-2 | MPEG-4 AVC/ VC-1/MPEG-2 | MPEG-4 AVC/ VC-1/MPEG-2 | MPEG-4 AVC/ VC-1/MPEG-2 |
| User bit rate | 11.08Mbps | 36.55Mbps | 36.55Mbps | 36.55Mbps |
| Track pitch | 0.74µm | 0.40µm | 0.40µm | 0.34µm |
Huge storage capacity of HD image
- A 15GB HD DVD disc has sufficient capacity for a movie and bonus content, all at HD quality, with space to spare.
- A 30GB disc can deliver three 150-minute movies, offering the perfect way to store movies and their sequels on a single disc—
with all the vibrancy of HD image quality. - Most TV series are brought to DVD in boxed sets. But the ability to store 48hours of SD quality video on one 30GB HD DVD adds up to whole seasons of your favorites TV drama on a single disc. Plus added extras.
- Alongside superb image quality, HD DVDs add another capability to long performances: superior sound quality.
Blue laser diode for high-density recording
The blue laser that reads and writes to HD DVD has a shorter wavelength than DVD's red laser. Even though DVD and HD DVD share the same disc structure, the blue laser's shorter wavelength translates into an HD DVD storage capacity dwarfing that of DVD. Single-sided, single-layer DVDs can hold 4.7GB of data. The single-sided dual-layer HD DVD-ROM surpasses that 6.2 times with its 30GB capacity.
Data processing with minimal noise
The latest advance in signal processing, partial response and maximum likelihood (PRML), minimizes noise problems resulting from playing high-density data.
Sophisticated video compression technology
In addition to DVD's MPEG-2, HD DVD players also recognize both MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 based on Microsoft's Windows Media. The excellent efficiency of MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 allow image data to be compressed to about one-third the size achieved by MPEG-2 and replay of high quality digital images.
36Mbps rate for high-definition images from digital TV broadcasting
With a transfer rate of 36.55Mbps, HD DVD disc drives outperform the 24Mbps maximum transfer rate of digital TV broadcasts. As a result, high-definition images can be recorded and played back, for many hours of viewing pleasure.
The Future
Shared production equipment minimizes cost, maximizes market access
The genius of HD DVDs is adoption of the same basic disc structure as DVD, allowing disc manufacturers to make full use of current production facilities and to minimize investment costs. Experience in setting up mass production lines for HD DVD discs shows excellent results, including production costs close to those for current DVD. HD DVDs can be produced and brought to market at a reasonable cost, a fact that is sure to spur early expansion of the medium.
Hardware and peripheral development to expand and advance
Rapid advances are being seen in the hardware that will promote the smooth transition to HD DVD, in everything from disc manufacturing technology to players and drives for PCs, including slim-line PCs. Digital video recorders under development also integrate HDD, which can record TV programs for archiving on HD DVD discs. In 2005, HD DVD players, recorders, and PC drives will all be brought to market and open the door to the age of HD DVD.
HD DVD content ready for release
The movie industry has declared its support for HD DVD. Hollywood's leading studios have made endorsements, and major Japanese content holders and distributors will join them in releasing HD DVD titles to support the launch of HD DVD hardware. Look for a wide range of titles, spanning everything from hit movies to nature programs and travelogues.
Support for the next-generation OS
HD DVD is expected to set the standard in the PC environment. The format already supports the latest compression technologies used by Windows Media®, and full native support for HD DVD will be integrated into Microsoft's next generation operating system.
The DVD Forum's HD DVD lineup
The DVD Forum will eventually unroll a full line-up of HD DVD formats, including specifications for the following discs.
HD DVD lineup
| hd dvd-rom | HD DVD-ROM(Read-Only) |
| Single-sided : 30GB(dual-layer) 15GB(single-layer) Double-sided : 60GB(dual-layer) 30GB(single-layer) | |
| hd dvd rewritable | HD DVD-Rewritable |
| Single-sided :20GB(single-layer);32GB(dual-layer,under development) Double-sided :40GB(single-layer) | |
| hd dvd-r | HD DVD-R(Recordable) |
| Single-sided:15GB(single-layer) Double-sided :30GB(single-layer) |
