HDTV sets display up to 1,080 lines of resolution, compared to 480 lines for regular TVs and DVD players. In order to accommodate the higher resolution on a physical disc, more storage than a DVD is required. Following are the various high-definition formats. See DVD.
Blu-ray
In 2008, Blu-ray became the standard for high-definition video in an optical disc format. See Blu-ray.
HD DVD
Endorsed by Toshiba, NEC and the DVD Forum, HD DVD competed with Blu-ray for a few years, but was discontinued in 2008. See HD DVD and Beta/VHS debacle.
DivX
DivX HD is a high-definition version of the DivX video codec, which compresses video to 10% of the original and is popular for online downloading. DivX HD compresses HD video to 20% of the original. Using the DivX HD codec, a high-def movie could be downloaded and burned on a regular DVD. See DivX.
China
There have been several HD formats competing for the Chinese market, including the Forward Versatile Disc (see FVD), High Definition Video (HDV) and Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD). All were developed to avoid paying royalties.
Russia
D Data Inc., a Russian company with offices in New York, appeared in the 2007 time frame and then disappeared. It touted its High Definition Digital Multi-layer Disc (HD-DMD) format, using multiple layers and the same red laser as a DVD drive.
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