HDDVD

HDDVD, commonly written as HD DVD, was a high-definition optical disc format developed as a successor to the DVD. It was led by Toshiba and introduced in the mid-2000s as part of a broader effort to provide a practical, high-definition home video standard. The format was designed to deliver high-definition video and data storage on 12-centimeter discs.

Physical characteristics and capabilities: HD DVD discs had a single-layer capacity of 15 gigabytes and a dual-layer capacity of 30 gigabytes. HD DVD players were designed to be backward compatible with standard DVDs, enabling playback of existing DVD titles on new hardware. Video on HD DVD was encoded primarily with MPEG-2, VC-1, or H.264 codecs, with native output up to 1080p. The format also defined several recording and data storage variants, including HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, and HD DVD-RAM, alongside HD DVD-ROM for data discs.

Market context and ecosystem: The format was supported by a group known as the HD DVD Promotion Group, which included several consumer electronics manufacturers and content producers. Microsoft contributed to the ecosystem through the Xbox 360, which offered an external HD DVD drive to access HD content. HD DVD competed directly with Blu-ray Disc, a rival high-definition format backed by Sony and a broad coalition of studios and manufacturers.

Decline and legacy: The HD DVD format war ultimately led to Blu-ray predominance in many markets. In early 2008, Toshiba announced it would discontinue development of HD DVD players and drives, effectively ending the format’s advancement. By the early 2010s, HD DVD hardware and discs had largely exited the market, though the format is remembered for contributing to the early adoption of high-definition home video and for offering a separate path to HD data storage.