High Definition DVD Formats
If you’re just now considering bringing high-definition entertainment into your home, the decision of which high definition DVD format to go with has already been made for you.
Yes. There was a recent battle of formats to rival that of the VHS and Betamax war back in the early 80’s. This time, however, the battle was between Toshiba’s HD DVD format and Sony’s Blu-Ray disc.
Battle Of The Formats
In this war, Sony’s Blu-Ray disc emerged victorious when Toshiba announced that they would no longer pursue the high definition market in February 2008. Consumer sales were all but stopped by the end of March.
Much like VHS and Betamax, major film producers like Warner Brothers ultimately determined the outcome of the war.
While there didn’t appear to be any real discernible differences in the audio or video quality of either format to the consumer, studios preferred the greater storage capacity and data transfer rate that the Blu-Ray disc offered.
When Warner Brothers made the decision to only release their high definition productions on Blu-Ray in January 2008, retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart threw the weight of their support solely in Blu-Ray’s direction as well, marking the end of the road for Toshiba’s HD DVD. Support by major film studios meant a lot more availability of Blu-Ray movie titles to the consumers.
Prior to Toshiba’s announcement to pull their HD DVD from the market, sales of either high definition format were soft. Consumers who were around for the VHS vs. Betamax war, well remember the pain of spending good money on a Beta machine and Beta tapes, only to have the format become extinct before their eyes.
Blu-Ray Emerges Victorious
With Blu-Ray disc firmly established as the king of the high definition format, sales have still remained soft. This, of course, came as a surprise to the industry.
Analysts suggest that this is due to a couple of reasons…
- The state of the economy is limiting the amount of money consumers are willing to spend on upgrading their video equipment. The purchase of a Blu-Ray disc player would require an upgrade to a high definition television, high quality cables, and possibly a surround sound system in order to get the full benefit of the high definition experience.
- While high definition is a beautiful thing to behold, consumers seem to be satisfied with the results that they are getting from their standard DVD players, and upconverting DVD players.
Overall cost is obviously a significant factor in consumer’s buying decisions. Currently, Blu-Ray movies are considerably more expensive than the average DVD movie. The good news is that the cost of the Blu-Ray disc players themselves are on the decline.
Using Standard DVDs In A High Def Format
Many consumers who have built up their collection of standard DVDs may be concerned that they will be unable to continue to use that format in a Blu-Ray disc player. Fortunately, that’s not the case.
If you have a high definition television, then standard DVDs will not only play in a Blu-Ray disc player, the quality of the playback is likely to be near high definition quality.
And likewise, if you wish to start building your Blu-Ray disc movie collection– since they are intended to replace standard DVDs in the future – Blu-Ray movies will play in standard DVD players as well. This is called backwards compatibility.
High Definition DVD Upconverters
High definition DVD upconverters are another option to purchasing a Blu-Ray disc player. They were actually a pretty attractive option several months ago when the cost of Blu-Ray disc players were more expensive.
And, upconverters were an even more attractive option when the battle of the formats were raging and people wanted the high definition experience without the risk of buying into a soon to be defunct format
Back then a smart consumer could pick up an upconverter for about half the cost of a Blu-Ray disc player. Today, however, the cost gap between the high definition upconverter and Blu-Ray disc player is rapidly closing.
So, what are the differences between an upconverter and a Blu-Ray disc player?
Standard DVD players take the digital information from a DVD, convert it to an analog signal, which gets reconverted back to digital once it arrives at to your television set. This process can negatively affect the overall quality of sound and video.
Upconverters, on the other hand, send the digital information from a standard DVD directly to your television without ever converting it to an analog signal. This means that the integrity of the audio and video are maintained.
Upconverters essentially “scale” a standard DVD at 480 pixels up to accommodate the pixels of your high definition television that is either 720, 1080i or 1080p resolution. Thus, “simulating” a high definition quality picture.
Some say, that unless you’re a true audiophile, you probably won’t realize the difference between the “simulated” high definition of a good quality upconverter and the “true” high definition of the Blu-Ray disc player.
Blu-Ray disc players, however, present not just a crisper, cleaner image commensurate with high definition, they also provide increased audio quality by using lossless technology. This is something that an upconverter is unable to do.
Lossless data compression technology essentially means that the sound you hear will most closely resemble the original soundtrack recording. This is different from Lossy compression that only approximates the original soundtrack. This difference may be of particular importance if you are using a home theater surround sound system.
High Definition Internet Television
Finally, high definition Internet television is coming up in the ranks as a potential contender in high definition format. As of September 2008, Apple iTunes online TV store, for instance, started offering viewers the ability to purchase high definition programming from the four major networks.
While it is reported that the quality doesn’t come close to Blu-Ray’s, it is definitely a technology worth keeping your eye on.
If you have recently purchased a Blu-Ray player, why not have a look at our range of video & audio furniture to store & display your equipment in style.
Tags: blu-ray, dvd, HD-DVD, hdtv, high definition