Without question unmatched company support, 50 GB disc capacity and the
potential of BD-J and BD-Live. HDR: What content can Bluray offer that SD DVD cannot? DK: High defi nition up to 1080p with uncompressed master audio, new forms of interactivity and internet connectivity

Extra disc capacity results in higher video and audio quality as well as additional features. BD-J interactivity makes the format future-proof. Also, most major manufacturers and studios support Blu-ray. HDR: Some have claimed that Blu-ray uses less effi cient video and sound compression than HD DVD, but is this true?

Actually, this is completely inaccurate. Both formats use the same compression codecs, but Blu-ray can use higher bitrates due to extra disc capacity. This results in higher video and audio quality is actually dramatic in some cases.

BD-J is a version of the Java platform used worldwide in a number of technologies. As such, it represents a futureproofed system for developing ground-breaking interactive features that enhance the movie experience and will give consumers -new ways of consuming movie and TV content in their homes.

We don’t comment on pricing, but it’s fair to say that it costs more to develop any new revolutionary technology.

Blu-ray has significantly more support and will generate more consumer interest based on its greater disc capacity and all it entails for the consumer: enhanced video and audio quality as well as advanced interactivity.

Yes, for all the above reasons.

Again, yes. 20GB per disc is a huge advantage.

The market needs a winner so that consumers feel confident in upgrading.

Continued sales advantages for Blu-ray discs plus continued introduction of Blu-ray disc players will determine the outcome.

We have always argued that including Blu-ray in PS3 was a huge advantage and one that Microsoft has not competed well against in Xbox 360. This brings Blu-ray into far more households than could have reasonably been expected for a brand new consumer electronics format. As the PS3 becomes more mainstream, as typically happens with game consoles, then PS3 consumers will increasingly use their PS3s to play movies and TV shows.

Only in that there came a time when VCRs accounted for a 70 per cent market share and it became unsustainable for the market to support two formats. Blu-ray is at that level now. Whereas some argued that the better technology failed to garner majority support in that ‘war’, Blu-ray is both the superior technology and enjoys the support of the majority of companies.