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The
High Definition DVD article below appeared on Consumer Reports,
August 2006. It discusses how there are two types of
DVDs: High-def DVD and Blu-ray. The two are still
fighting it out.
"Call it
a decided delay in DVD development. Until this year, the
disc that dominates prerecorded movies was strictly a
standard-definition medium. The introduction of
high-definition DVD was delayed by limited disc capacity and a
host of other issues. Though standard DVD images look
impressive enough on HDTV, their quality falls short of the
set's potential to create dazzingly detailed images."
"Now,
finally, two competing (an incompatible) high-definition DVD
formats are beginning to hit the market. There's HD DVD,
introduced by Toshiba and supported by movie studios including
Universal and HBO; and Blu-ray, led by Sony and backed by Disney
and others."
"As we
expected, in preliminary tests HD DVD delivered sharper, more
detailed images than regular DVD, and Blu-ray promises a similar
improvement. (At press time, the first Blu-ray players
were not yet on the market). Both formats also allow for
greater interactivity than regular DVDs."
"Before
beginning to make the popcorn, though, consider these seven
sobering realities about high-def DVD. Together, they
render the new technology more a development to track than a
technology you should invest now."
The article
continues to list the seven realities summarized below:
1.
Reminds consumers of the VHS and Betamax video battle in which
VHS eventually won. This is now happening with HD DVD and
Blu-ray so article warns that it is probably best to wait.
2. Cost is
not cheap especially for Blu-ray. Players are $500.00 and
discs are about $25.00. DVD players now are about $100.00
and discs are about $15.00. Sony is supposed to introduce
PlayStation 3, a video-game console for about $500.00 so it's
probably better to wait for this.
3.
Image quality on HDTV vary. HD DVD on 1080i resolution is
not as good as HD DVD on 1080p resolution.
4.
Glitches. "High-def DVD players are much like
computers in many ways, though early testing suggests not in the
best ways. HD DVD players we tested took longer to load
their discs and skip chapters than regular DVD players, and
digital connections were finicky."
5.
"Some features of high-def DVDs are yet to arrive.
Both formats promise Internet access and video-game-style
interaction with movie characters. However, most of the
first high-definition discs have only the same extras as their
standard-definition siblings."
6. HD
DVD and Blu-ray players and discs are not so readily
available. Both types of High-def DVD can hold about 50
titles.
7.
There are other sources for watching movies in HD--cable and
satellite TV.
TVs
and Screens Directory
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