Top 10 Format Wars

Once upon a time, data storage sparked competition in companies. The SD Card Association’s Secure Digital cards came into conflict with Memory Sticks, Sony’s own brand of removable flash memory devices launched in October 1998. Though both formats saw upgrades through the 2000s and competed for dominance, the SD Card’s utility and relative openness compared to the Memory Stick gave it an edge. Ultimately, while the Memory Stick is still used in some capacities, Sony adopted use of the SD Card by releasing its own line in its devices as of 2010.

When it comes to the design of cars, the shift from electric to gas power is significant. From the 1880s through to 1920, electric-powered cars were some of the most popular automobiles available... before advances were made in internal combustion engine technology. With a greater range of vehicles, cheaper pricing and quicker refuelling times, the gas-powered automobile quickly overtook its predecessor. By 1914, 99% of cars produced by U.S. manufacturers had internal combustion engines – and six years later, electric cars went out of production in America. However that hasn’t stopped some companies from testing the market, and from bringing the technology back to the mainstream.

Lighting might seem fairly innocuous, but rest assured that it’s an intriguing tale of varying technologies. LEDs, or light-emitting diode lights, have existed since the early 1960s... but only in the 2000s were they adopted in the market as both vied to replace the old incandescent bulb. Their key competitor, compact fluorescent lamps or CFL lights, previously stood as an up-and-coming technology due to their energy efficiency and cost. Yet LED lights were found to have major advantages over fluorescent lighting: they don’t need warm-up time in order to reach full brightness, they have even increased energy efficiency and a longer life and the quality of the light itself is better.

Of all the changes that television has experienced, this is among the most defining. Cable television was adopted in the 1980s as a widespread method of transmitting broadcasts - designed primarily to serve small communities and areas not optimal for receiving TV signals. However, cable has traditionally faced the greater availability, cheaper pricing, and wider range of content offered by satellite television, making the system that uses signals from communication satellites the more popular choice. Nowadays both are facing a decline in the wake of web-based content.

From the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, 8-track tapes stood tall. Created in 1963 for the Lear Jet Corporation, these tapes found a market amid the rising automobile industry – with companies such as the Ford Motor Company introducing 8-track players in their cars. Though commercially successful, 8-track tapes also had their limits; among other concerns, the tapes tended to jam as they got dirty, couldn’t be rewound, and suffered from sound distortions. Thus, the Compact Cassette’s smaller size, more reliable hardware, and plentiful features allowed it to rise to popularity in the ‘80s, leaving 8-tracks to fall into disuse.

The visualization of televised content has been contested as much as the broadcasting of said content. For a period, the dark black levels and high-quality picture of plasma TVs was second to none in the realm of flat panel televisions. With time, though, televisions reliant on liquid-crystal displays began to prevail thanks to their appealingly slim design, a consistent brightness of image, and greater efficiency of power usage. Add to that a wider range of screen sizes than plasma, and it’s apparent that LCD televisions stood their ground well, though they’re currently being replaced with LED technology.

Apple’s 1994 foray into serial communication, via an interface named FireWire, would soon be rivaled by the 1996 introduction of USB – known in full as Universal Serial Bus. In the decade to follow, USB’s simple design and low cost was compared and contrasted with the high-performance nature of FireWire, making for a fascinating if understated rivalry. In the end, however, FireWire could not grab the interest of the market enough to remain a participant, with Apple beginning to replace FireWire in Mac computers as of 2014.

Bask in the high-definition glory on display. Officially released in 2006 after years of development, the Blu-ray disc format was designed from the get-go to store more data than traditional DVDs. This posed a threat to Toshiba’s HD-DVDs, which is short for High Definition or Density Digital Versatile or Video Disc. In spite of negotiations with Sony, a format war began. Studios and tech companies alike divided between Sony and Toshiba, though the war began to lean in Sony’s favor after Warner Bros’ decision to drop support of HD-DVDs. Finally, in February 2008, Toshiba conceded victory to Sony, and the HD-DVD was no more.

In its day, the Sony-developed MiniDisc had its fans. This portable disc-based audio device benefited from high quality of sound and durability of hardware, to say nothing of its sleek look. Yet the MiniDisc’s balance of portability and solid design was outmatched by the smaller, more easily carried and variable MP3 devices that emerged in the late ‘90s. Little by little over the years, MP3 players, particularly Apple’s iPod, offered more of what the MiniDisc could not - though to its credit, the MiniDisc did manage to endure in some form until 2013.

Before we unveil our top pick, here is an honorable mention:
- DVD+R vs. DVD-R

A classic format war if there ever was one. In 1975, Betamax cassette tapes hit store shelves in Japan before being sold around the world, promising top-of-the-line recording technology on a high-end format. Within the following years, Betamax would face competition from JVC’s VHS tapes, quickly resulting in a back-and-forth fight for market dominance that lasted into the 1980s. Unfortunately for Betamax, the fight came down to matters of cost and recording time, both of which were areas in which VHS excelled. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Do you agree with our list? What’s the most notable format war in your eyes? For more formative Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.