HD DVD (short for High-Definition/Density DVD) which is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video HD DVD which was supported principally by only a small number of factory, and was envisaged to be the successor to the standard DVD format. However, in February 2008, those faoctories has abandoned the format, announcing it would no longer develop or manufacture HD DVD players or drives
Since all variants except 3× DVD and HD REC employed a blue laser with a shorter wavelength, HD DVD could store about 3¼ times as much data per layer as its predecessor (maximum capacity: 15 GB per layer instead of 4.7 GB per layer).Much like the VHS vs. Betamax format war during the late 1970s and early 1980s, HD DVD was competing with rival format Blu-ray Disc. In 2008, major content manufacturers and key retailers began withdrawing their support for the format. Toshiba’s withdrawal from the format ended the high definition optical disc format war, effectively making rival Blu-ray Disc the dominant format for high definition video discs.The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved on March 28, 2008
HD-DVD is now officially discontinued. However, information on HD-DVD, and its comparison to Blu-ray, is still contained in this article for historical purposes, as well as the fact that there are still many HD-DVD player owners, and HD-DVD players and discs will continue to be sold and traded on the secondary market for some time.
