HD-DVD
Could be considered the "sensible choice"
Although it isn't getting quite the buzz that *Blu-ray[Blu-Ray] is, HD-DVD (High Density DVD or High Definition Digital Video Disc) will soon be a part of the tech geek vocabulary. That's because it provides a high definition picture on par with Blu-ray, and most of its players retail for about half the price. In addition, HD-DVD is arguably receiving equal or even better support from a variety of noteworthy movie studios. Those are all important factors to consider when perusing the high definition wares this pre-holiday season.
Blu-ray is receiving most of its support from Sony and Philips, two technology manufacturers with persistent followers. HD-DVD can match that with a strong effort from the popular Japanese company, Toshiba. They'll be producing the stand-alone systems for the U.S. market (and have been shipping units in limited supply since April). Toshiba is also behind the *Xbox 360 HD-DVD[HD-DVD Players] add-on.
So, what's the big deal?
Much like the primary reasoning behind an expensive Blu-ray purchase, the upgrade from your standard DVD player to an HD-DVD will allow you to take full advantage of the HDTV you shelled out so many Benjamins for. Since most HDTVs support 720p and 1080i, by upgrading to HD-DVD you'll quickly notice the difference between a DVD player that doesn't utilize the technology and one that does.
Many fans of Blu-ray will criticize HD-DVD because most of the initial players cannot support 1080p - but since the bulk of televisions aren't even produced to use this level of resolution, it isn't a significant problem, and is certainly not a great reason to make the jump to Blu-ray, if money is an issue.
How is it different from Blu-ray?
The primary difference in the technology is the capacity of each system's disc. Simply put, the Blu-ray disc can hold much more, with a minimum storage space of 25 GB (ten more than the average HD-DVD). In addition, Blu-ray can be upscaled, meaning there's the potential for Sony and Philips to release 200 GB discs.
Still, 30 GB dual-layer HD-DVDs are a viable competitor. Regardless of size, HD-DVD is still a massive improvement over standard DVD video, and it also has yet to be proven whether the Blu-ray will be able to do that much more with its larger capacity discs. It may turn out that, for twice the price with benefits that may be insignificant to most consumers, HD-DVD's competitor might just become the toy of rich men (and women) only.
In the next few pages we'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of investing in HD-DVD.
