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"The fact is, while Sony has more of the film studios signed up to support Blu-ray, HD DV players have more capabilities built in, including on-board storage and Web access," he said. "Those features will be available as extras with the Blu-ray players."

Sony is poised to kick off the launch of its next-generation DVD technology, announcing the release of high-definition Blu-ray movies from a number of major film studios in conjunction with new hardware on which to play them.

Consumers will be able to get new movies such as "Firewall" and "Syriana," as well as classics like "Full Metal Jacket" and "Space Cowboys" from Warner Bros this fall. Sony Home Pictures is releasing titles such as "Hitch," "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," and "The Fifth Element," and Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount are releasing a selection their movies on Blu-ray at about the same time.

Europe will get the first look at Blu-ray titles starting in October, with releases in the U.S. to follow. Pricing was not released by the companies.

Battle Lines Drawn

Sony remains in a pitched battle with Toshiba and its HD DVD format, both of which promise sharper images and superior sound, and the result has been confusion among consumers, many of whom are expected to hold off on upgrading their home video systems until a winner emerges.

The HD DVD format is backed by Toshiba, Microsoft, Intel , and others, while the Blu-ray format is backed by companies including Sony, Samsung, Phillips, Panasonic, Disney, and Twentieth Century Fox Studios, while Warner Bros. and Paramount are hedging their bets by supporting both formats.

That means that consumers still need to think twice before buying a new home theater system. The choice isn’t obvious, even to the experts. Opinions vary among industry watchers, some of whom argue that Blu-ray, backed by Sony and most of the major film studios, is in a better position to dominate.

Too Early to Pick a Winner

Still, there are others who contend it’s too early to pick a winner. "The fact that Sony is announcing the release of more titles does not necessarily mean that Blu-ray has gained any momentum," Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman said.

"The fact is, while Sony has more of the film studios signed up to support Blu-ray, HD DV players have more capabilities built in, including on-board storage and Web access," he said. "Those features will be available as extras with the Blu-ray players."

For example, while the two formats look similar, a Blu-ray disc cannot be played on an HD DVD player and vice versa. And, Blu-ray discs hold up to 50 GB of content compared with HD DVD’s 30 GB, the report states.

"A battle between formats is not fought week by week; it is fought by lining up companies to support the format," said Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler. "And the Blu-ray format continues to have much more support from manufacturers and studios than HD DVD."

Sony has promised to provide Blu-ray technology in its next-generation PlayStation 3 gaming console, which will give the format even more momentum, some analysts say. On the other side, Goodman said that Toshiba and its partners must be pleased, given that they were first out of the gate and that Microsoft will provide an HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 gaming machine.

Article source: http://www.newsfactor.com/