Competition often means waiting for people to make a choice.
That was the case with VCRs, video cassette recorders. During the 1980s, people had two choices: VHS and Betamax. The VHS format won the competition. Betamax disappeared from all but professional use.
More recently, the VHS, or video home system, format has been disappearing as people choose DVD players.
But now the two newest kinds of DVD players are in competition. Blu-ray and HD DVD are both designed for use with high definition televisions. These produce bigger, sharper pictures. They work best when showing movies or TV programs made in true high definition.
But high def takes up more memory, so a new kind of DVD, digital video or versatile disc, was needed.
Blu-ray and HD DVD are similar in technology. Both use a blue laser to read the information on the disc. But HD DVDs cost less to produce. They can be made with existing equipment, while Blu-ray DVDs cannot. But a Blu-ray disc holds more memory: about fifty gigabytes compared to thirty gigabytes for an HD DVD.
Two major Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, have agreed to release movie only in HD DVD. The Toshiba company is the main supplier of the players.
Sony, on the other hand, supports the Blu-ray format, as do the movie makers at Walt Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM.
Then earlier this month, Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs announced its choice in the fight between Blu-ray and HD DVD. Warner Brothers will support only Blu-ray starting in June.
The company says having two kinds of high definition DVDs on the market has led to confusion with the buying public. So far, sales of the new high-definition disc players have been slow. An estimated one million players of both kinds have been sold.
This week, Toshiba announced that it would cut the price of its HD DVD players by forty to fifty percent. Some of its players are now under two hundred dollars.
But many people think Blu-ray has won the competition with HD DVD. Time will tell. For those who cannot make up their minds, there are some players that can play both.
蓝光，全力支持高清晰度电视
竞争通常意味着产品要等待消费者做出选择。
这就是录像机遇到的情况。在20世纪80年代，人们有两个选择，家用录像机和盒式视频录像机。 家用录像机赢得了这场竞赛，而盒式视频录像机则只能用于专业领域了。
近期，当人们选择了影碟机以后，家用录像机也退出了市场。
但是现在，两种最新类型的影碟机开始了竞争。 蓝光影碟机和高清数字影碟机都是为高清晰度电视设计的。他们都可以提供更大，更清晰的画面。在播放高清数字制作的电影或电视节目时，效果极佳。
但是高清要占用更多的记忆空间，因此需要新型的影碟， 比如数字视频光碟或者数字多功能光碟。
蓝光影碟机和高清数字影碟机采用了相似的技术，都用蓝色雷射光读取影碟上的信息。但是高清数字影碟机生产成本较低，可采用现有的设备生产，而蓝光影碟机却不能。 但是蓝光影碟机可存储更多的信息，约可达到50G，而高清数字影碟机只能达到30G。
两个主要好莱坞制片厂，派拉蒙影业公司和环球影业公司已经一致同意只发行高清数字影碟。东芝公司是此类影碟机的主要供应商。
而另一方面，索尼公司、迪斯尼影业公司、20世纪福克斯影业公司和米高梅影业公司则选择支持蓝光射线格式。
本月早些时候，好莱坞最大的影碟销售商华纳兄弟宣布要在蓝光和高清数字影碟机的竞争中做出选择。他们从六月起将只支持蓝光射线格式。
华纳兄弟称市场上的两种高清影碟会给消费者带来困惑， 所以新型高清影碟机销售已经放缓。据估计两款影碟机都只销售了100万台。
本周，东芝公司宣布将高清影碟机价格下调40%到50%，一些产品价格已经低于200美元。
但多数人认为蓝光影碟机在竞争中胜过了高清影碟机。 时间将会给出答案。对于那些不能做出决定的人来说，还可以选择那些同时支持这两种格式的影碟机。
关键字:双语新闻
生词表:
That was the case with VCRs, video cassette recorders. During the 1980s, people had two choices: VHS and Betamax. The VHS format won the competition. Betamax disappeared from all but professional use.
More recently, the VHS, or video home system, format has been disappearing as people choose DVD players.
But now the two newest kinds of DVD players are in competition. Blu-ray and HD DVD are both designed for use with high definition televisions. These produce bigger, sharper pictures. They work best when showing movies or TV programs made in true high definition.
But high def takes up more memory, so a new kind of DVD, digital video or versatile disc, was needed.
Blu-ray and HD DVD are similar in technology. Both use a blue laser to read the information on the disc. But HD DVDs cost less to produce. They can be made with existing equipment, while Blu-ray DVDs cannot. But a Blu-ray disc holds more memory: about fifty gigabytes compared to thirty gigabytes for an HD DVD.
Two major Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, have agreed to release movie only in HD DVD. The Toshiba company is the main supplier of the players.
Sony, on the other hand, supports the Blu-ray format, as do the movie makers at Walt Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM.
Then earlier this month, Hollywood's biggest seller of DVDs announced its choice in the fight between Blu-ray and HD DVD. Warner Brothers will support only Blu-ray starting in June.
The company says having two kinds of high definition DVDs on the market has led to confusion with the buying public. So far, sales of the new high-definition disc players have been slow. An estimated one million players of both kinds have been sold.
This week, Toshiba announced that it would cut the price of its HD DVD players by forty to fifty percent. Some of its players are now under two hundred dollars.
But many people think Blu-ray has won the competition with HD DVD. Time will tell. For those who cannot make up their minds, there are some players that can play both.
蓝光，全力支持高清晰度电视
竞争通常意味着产品要等待消费者做出选择。
这就是录像机遇到的情况。在20世纪80年代，人们有两个选择，家用录像机和盒式视频录像机。 家用录像机赢得了这场竞赛，而盒式视频录像机则只能用于专业领域了。
近期，当人们选择了影碟机以后，家用录像机也退出了市场。
但是现在，两种最新类型的影碟机开始了竞争。 蓝光影碟机和高清数字影碟机都是为高清晰度电视设计的。他们都可以提供更大，更清晰的画面。在播放高清数字制作的电影或电视节目时，效果极佳。
但是高清要占用更多的记忆空间，因此需要新型的影碟， 比如数字视频光碟或者数字多功能光碟。
蓝光影碟机和高清数字影碟机采用了相似的技术，都用蓝色雷射光读取影碟上的信息。但是高清数字影碟机生产成本较低，可采用现有的设备生产，而蓝光影碟机却不能。 但是蓝光影碟机可存储更多的信息，约可达到50G，而高清数字影碟机只能达到30G。
两个主要好莱坞制片厂，派拉蒙影业公司和环球影业公司已经一致同意只发行高清数字影碟。东芝公司是此类影碟机的主要供应商。
而另一方面，索尼公司、迪斯尼影业公司、20世纪福克斯影业公司和米高梅影业公司则选择支持蓝光射线格式。
本月早些时候，好莱坞最大的影碟销售商华纳兄弟宣布要在蓝光和高清数字影碟机的竞争中做出选择。他们从六月起将只支持蓝光射线格式。
华纳兄弟称市场上的两种高清影碟会给消费者带来困惑， 所以新型高清影碟机销售已经放缓。据估计两款影碟机都只销售了100万台。
本周，东芝公司宣布将高清影碟机价格下调40%到50%，一些产品价格已经低于200美元。
但多数人认为蓝光影碟机在竞争中胜过了高清影碟机。 时间将会给出答案。对于那些不能做出决定的人来说，还可以选择那些同时支持这两种格式的影碟机。
关键字:双语新闻
生词表:
- definition [,defi´niʃən]
n.限定；定义；明确 四级词汇 - paramount [´pærəmaunt] a.最高的 n.元首 六级词汇
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