Format Fight For New DVD's

The Boston Globe reports:

Call it VHS vs. Betamax 2.0.


Hollywood and the electronics industry are in the biggest fight over technology since the invention of the VCR, and the battle over the evolution of digital video discs into the high-definition format of the future has divided the heaviest hitters in movies, computing, video games, and home video players into two competing camps.

Both formats promise a visual upgrade over current-generation DVDs, combining the clarity of high-definition television with advanced interactive features (having a director pop up to talk about a scene while the movie is still running, for example), on discs of the same size as those used today.

But unlike the 1990s, when movie studios and electronics manufacturers agreed on a standard for the DVD, there is no compromise on high-definition discs, meaning movies recorded in HD DVD won't work on machines that play Blu-Ray Disc when the products begin hitting the market this spring.

There is pressure building for one format.Anything else will be a disaster.Does Hollywood really think everyone is going to replace their DVD collection anyway?? Just look at audio CD's.How many people are going to buy their entire audio collection on super-CD?