HD DVD vs Blu-Ray

Quality

No big issues here, both are capable of providing a picture in stunning 1080p and sound in 7.1 surround sound. HOWEVER, most HD DVD players currently on the market do not output in 1080p, and instead only as high as 1080i! On the other hand, all Blu-Ray players we've seen output in 1080p. So what gives? Well up until recently, there has been relatively little or no 1080p content available so many manufacturers chose not to include the feature in their HD DVD players! Does this mean anything to you? Well, if your TV doesn't support 1080p, then probably not. On the other hand, if you just bought a nice new one with the salesman bragging about it's 1080p support, you may find yourself a bit crestfallen.

Other Considerations

There is no doubt that buying a high definition dvd player is a pricey proposition. So what's a home theater enthusiast to do? One option is to buy one of the next generation consoles, namely an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3. The 360 which you can buy for $300-$400 has the ability to add an HD DVD drive later for $200. And then at that point you would not only have a cutting edge game system, but also one of the latest in high definition dvd technologies...for about the same it costs for a stand alone player. (Incidentally, a downloadable update for the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive will allegedly allow output in 1080p)! (Also incidentily, at the time of this writing, an HDMI cable still does not exist for the Xbox 360). On the other hand, If you buy the PS3 for $500-$600 you get a cutting edge high definition dvd player and also a cutting edge video game system, (with HDMI support). But the best part...You'll get a blu-ray player for about $200 less than a stand alone one.

So what do you do?

If you smoke cigars made out of dollar bills, the decision is easy. If that's not the case, you have some things to think about because of course, you would hate to find yourself on the wrong side at the end of the Blu-Ray vs HD DVD war leaving you with a defunct player for a handful of movies. If you're a gamer, decisions become a bit easier as you can just buy whatever next-gen system you want that supports a high definition dvd format. If you don't fall in one of the preceding situations, there's certainly no harm in waiting...Prices for players will come down, and more movies will come out for the players which means you could actually start updating your own collection at that point.

Of course there's always the possibility that at that time, a NEW high definition dvd format could come out. And then we could start this whole debate all over again. Oh joy.

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