HD DVD is an optical storage medium developed by Toshiba to replace the DVD.  Blu-Ray is a slightly newer optical storage medium also intended to replace DVD developed by Sony.  Talk of an impending format war began to subside as the two sides joined in a series of meetings to try to hammer out a mutually beneficial agreement that would release only one of the two standards or at least develop a universal standard. 

The latest news in the hi-def optical storage peace is… It’s on baby!  Both sides have left the table rolling up their sleeves for an all out format war that will be played out early next year in video retailers near you.  This is particularly troubling for anyone hoping for a universal format or for one of the existing formats to give in and endorse the other’s, it’s not going to happen.   

The last quarter of this year will see the first HD DVD discs and players on store shelves.  HD DVD will be followed closely by the release of the first Blu-Ray offerings from Sony.  It’s likely the two formats will sit on store shelves as not much more than a confusing curiosity for the uninitiated.  As long as this format war goes unresolved, the cost of the players will likely remain prohibitive to the mainstream audience and the selection of movies available will be low.  This all but assures the standard DVD format will remain alive and well for many years to come.  You can’t blame manufacturers for wanting a return on the millions they’ve spend in research and development.  But I also can’t help but think they’re acting like spoiled children at the expense of the bigger picture.   The advancement of HDTV and an optical storage medium that produces HD video will be slowed.  Imagine if early next year the general public were presented with a single, simple well developed technology on store shelves at reasonable costs.  A true optical HD format giving crisp 720P and even 1080P images with no macroblocking, chroma bugs or other video hiccups that afflict current 480P DVD images.  This would certainly advance the cause of HDTV, selling not only the players and media but it would sell more HDTVs.  In the long run, this format war can only hurt the very manufacturer’s engaging in it Sony and Toshiba.