“Hey guys, it has been a good five years – let’s mix it up a bit!”
Further talks surfaced recently as discussion of a new format of DVD is prepared for the general public, but the bigger question may actually be, “Are we even ready for it?” Blue laser technology aims to skyrocket the capacity of Digital Video Discs up from the standard average of about 4.7 GB/layer to 25 GB/layer, resulting in a staggering 50 GB of disc space for the dual-layer formats that we see most movies occupy today. And while the entrance of HD-quality DVDs into the consumer world certainly warrants the extra size requirements (ranging anywhere from 25 – 160 Mb/s depending on compression schemes and whatnot, an HD video stream can easily occupy over 20 GB of space for a feature-length presentation), memories of the whole VHS vs. BetaMax debacle leave many of us wondering what’s best for our entertainment dollar…
And don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of High Definition bringing that theater-quality imagery home to my own living room and I can only imagine how some of my all time favorites could shine under that kind of light (Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and A Bug’s Life to name a few!). But nonetheless, the DVD as it stands is still a pretty fine quality medium, so what about the so-so movies that simply don’t need to look absolutely pristine? Well, unless we’re suddenly overrun by a troupe of crazed videophiles demanding only the most superior of digital goodies available, I see blue laser technology joining us as a supplement to the Digital Video Discs that we’ve come to know and love.
Of course, this ultimately rests in the hands of the studios and how close the pricing structure lands to the current DVD model, but at this point I see blue laser DVDs hitting the stores as a premium for the cinematic greats, much as the esteemed laserdisc made its depressingly unsuccessful entrance into the consumer world back in the late 70’s. From an honest perspective, most of us certainly aren’t going to swap out our existing movie collections at $20+ a pop, although we might pick-up a few of the classics and some new releases at a higher premium if the quality is good enough to jump out and smack us in the face. Mind you, just as we still see full screen DVDs on Wal-Mart shelves across the country to cater to the masses that haven’t made the switch to widescreen yet, so will we continue to see the blue laser predecessors for quite some time…at least I think.
I guess when the bottom line comes down, I think that it’s an interesting technology, however I really believe that as more and more focus moves to an online lifestyle, this is one area that will truly get revolutionized when the On-Demand angle of our cable and satellite packages expands to incorporate the local video store – everything is stored in gigantic databases until you’re ready to watch, then just stream a copy to your home theater system over fiber for a modest fee and you’re in business! If you liked it enough to purchase, the film is saved locally on a terabyte server located in the closet and is available to any television in the house with the push of a button. As the prices of all of these technological advances become more and more affordable to Joe Anybody, that’s where we’re really able to have some fun and I think it’ll be here sooner than you think!
Nonetheless in the meantime, if Disney wants to release their next animated classic on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD and can manage to keep the costs relatively feasible, you can still safely bet that I’ll be grabbing a copy to add to the collection. Whether or not there will be enough die-hards to drive this new facet of the industry, only time will tell…
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