August 2006
High-def DVD: Why you should hit ‘pause’
FORMAT FIGHT There are two high-definition DVD formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray. Most studios are backing only one.
Illustration by Roy ScottCall 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 Blu-ray promises a similar improvement. (As of early July, 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.
You can get a more versatile high-def DVD player if you can wait until November. That’s when Sony is supposed to roll out its PlayStation 3 video-game console, which will include a Blu-ray drive. But it will cost $500.
Improvements in image quality may vary by HDTV. In our side-by-side tests, the HD DVD version of “Phantom of the Opera” (2004) looked much better than its standard DVD version when viewed on a typical HDTV, which used a native resolution technology known as 1080i. But the HD DVD “Phantom” looked especially sharp and detailed when viewed on a set with 1080p native resolution, a technology on expensive new sets that makes the most of HD signals.
Expect some 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.
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.
Availability is tight. HD DVD players and discs, which appeared in April, are in short supply. Sony has hinted that the same may hold for the first Blu-ray players. And while titles are steadily being added, the number of movies available in high-def DVD remains limited--no more than about 50 titles in each format.
Other sources of HD movies are growing. The shortfalls in availability of high-def DVD might be a blessing, since even movie aficionados should for now resist the call of the new technology. As time goes on, the format war may be resolved, prices will drop, and availability of HD movies and players (and eventually recorders) will increase.
Cable and satellite TV providers vow to increase their offerings. Other new providers may deliver movies in high-definition to computerlike set-top boxes using the Internet.
The upshot: Viewing movies at home in HD has nowhere to go but up, but it’s an open question how many of those movies you’ll get on DVD. Having waited so long for high-def DVD, we may eventually discover we don’t really need it.
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 Blu-ray promises a similar improvement. (As of early July, 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.
You can get a more versatile high-def DVD player if you can wait until November. That’s when Sony is supposed to roll out its PlayStation 3 video-game console, which will include a Blu-ray drive. But it will cost $500.
Improvements in image quality may vary by HDTV. In our side-by-side tests, the HD DVD version of “Phantom of the Opera” (2004) looked much better than its standard DVD version when viewed on a typical HDTV, which used a native resolution technology known as 1080i. But the HD DVD “Phantom” looked especially sharp and detailed when viewed on a set with 1080p native resolution, a technology on expensive new sets that makes the most of HD signals.
Expect some 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.
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.
Availability is tight. HD DVD players and discs, which appeared in April, are in short supply. Sony has hinted that the same may hold for the first Blu-ray players. And while titles are steadily being added, the number of movies available in high-def DVD remains limited--no more than about 50 titles in each format.
Other sources of HD movies are growing. The shortfalls in availability of high-def DVD might be a blessing, since even movie aficionados should for now resist the call of the new technology. As time goes on, the format war may be resolved, prices will drop, and availability of HD movies and players (and eventually recorders) will increase.
Cable and satellite TV providers vow to increase their offerings. Other new providers may deliver movies in high-definition to computerlike set-top boxes using the Internet.
The upshot: Viewing movies at home in HD has nowhere to go but up, but it’s an open question how many of those movies you’ll get on DVD. Having waited so long for high-def DVD, we may eventually discover we don’t really need it.
