Blue-Ray V HD-DVD

With the time coming near to the launch of both systems, backed by different companies and incompatible with each other, the time has come to start making a choice.

With the advent of new technology in this ever increasingly geeky world, you may expect that the launch of these competing formats would be state-of-the-art presentations by the rival companies; so I thought I'd take a look.

The site's I checked are what I think are the current release sites, namely, http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/ (domain registered to 'goodby, silverstein & partners') for HD-DVD and http://www.blu-ray.com/ (registered and unknown due to Whois Privacy Protection Service) for the Blue-Ray offerings.

Could you get two more different sites? I think not! The HD site gives a swanky flash user interface with smooth graphics and high quality design; while the Blu-Ray site while providing a website with more information and greater detail on the technology its self, provides the user with a 1990's design that is basic and unimaginative beyond belief.

If the differences in these sites is reflective of the technology developers themselves then no wonder there was no agreement between the two technologies about a common way forward for the next generation of formats.

Purely based on the websites and available information on them (as being a geek I tend to do) then the HD site is going to win hands down in the long run; primarily because the technology is all about better display, clearer graphics and enhanced definition; clearly demonstrated at the HD site. The Blu-Ray technology is likely to be superior, as technologically Sony themselves tend to be, but is likely to lack the finesse of an all round product and fail to make the important first market share; reminiscent of the Mini-Disk v CD battle of a few years ago.

Technically superior does not usually mean success if followed up by poor marketing, bad promotion and limited manufacturer access.

Only time will tell, but I'll go for HD-DVD as a safe bet; although Blu-Ray seems a better format.