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High-def DVD: why you should hit 'pause'.(CR Technology)
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 an HDTV, their quality falls short of the set's potential to create dazzingly detailed images.
Now, finally, two competing (and 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 Bluray 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 in now.
Beware the format war. Home-entertainment history suggests that only one format will be left standing. That's what happened in the VHS vs. Betamax battle, the 1970s videotape-format fight in which consumers who invested in the latter format were left with obsolete tapes and players.Even if both high-def DVD formats survive, most movies will be available in only one or the other. A few major studios--so far, Warner Bros. and Paramount--will offer titles in both. But no combination HD DVD/Blu-ray players are currently available. True movie buffs will have to buy both HD DVD and Blu-ray equipment.
It's not cheap. Stepping up to high-def DVD might be more tempting if it didn't cost so much more than its standard-def sibling. But player prices start at $500, compared with $100 or less for many standard DVD players, and discs cost upward of $25, almost double the price of many standard DVDs. Drives for both formats are being added to computers, but such models cost at least $3,000.
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