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May 3, 2006

The New DVD Format Wars

If you hear the ominous sounds of war drums through your home theater’s subwoofer, it’s because there’s a video format battle looming just beyond the horizon.

Back in the 1970s and ’80s, dueling videocassette formats VHS and Betamax (Beta) waged a long battle for supremacy in the marketplace. JVC’s VHS format emerged as the ultimate winner, but supporters of Sony’s Beta were embittered to see their investment in a technically superior format rendered obsolete.

History seems to be repeating itself as two next-generation video disc formats, Blu-Ray and HD DVD, are facing off in the marketplace. Motion picture studios and electronics manufacturers are attempting to repress their bitter memories of the VHS vs. Beta debacle by focusing instead on the truckloads of money to be made from consumers seeking the latest and greatest video players to complement their shiny new high-definition television (HDTV) sets.

Each format has its proponents. Blu-Ray has the support of more movie studios, while HD DVD can boast the endorsement of corporate behemoth Microsoft. The problem for consumers is that backers for the two competing technologies have steadfastly refused to reach an agreement allowing for a single standard. This means that Blu-Ray discs won’t work in HD DVD players and vice versa, though either type will play current DVDs.

On the positive side, both Blu-Ray and HD DVD could yield major improvements in video quality over standard DVDs. The differences between the two formats boil down to this:
Blu-Ray discs will hold more information, while HD DVD discs will cost less to manufacture. The ultimate victor of this format war is unclear, though holiday season sales numbers should provide some indication.

One thing is clear—consumers who pick the wrong format will lose. As a result, it’s probably prudent for all but the most risk-seeking shoppers to wait for a clear leader to emerge before committing to either Blu-Ray or HD DVD.

But I want better picture quality now. Can I do anything to make current DVDs look better on my HDTV set?

By picking the right kind of DVD player, it is possible to improve the picture quality of DVDs on your HDTV set. There are three basic kinds of DVD players on the market today.

• Standard DVD players work perfectly for traditional TVs, but can fall short for use with HDTV sets.
• A progressive scan DVD player “de-interlaces” the video signal, yielding a more fluid image. The improvement over a standard player is noticeable, but not spectacular.
• An upconverting DVD player is probably the best choice for an HDTV owner seeking optimal quality from today’s DVDs. These players change, or “upconvert,” the DVD’s native 480i signal into a high-definition digital signal. Early reports of HD DVD players suggest that images from a good upconverting DVD player can rival those from first-generation HD DVD players.

If you have a high-end HDTV, its built-in video processing circuitry (called a scaler) could theoretically produce better results than those from an upconverting DVD player, but in most cases, an upconverting player provides better image quality than standard players.

Are there any downsides to upconverting DVD players?

Price may be a barrier for some people, as a good upconverting DVD player may cost $200. This may seem to be too much to pay when typical DVD players may be found for as little as $50 on sale. While it’s true that upconverting DVD players command a premium price over standard units, next-generation disc players will take an even bigger bite out of your paycheck. For example, the first HD DVD player to appear in stores, the Toshiba HD-A1, has a retail price of $500.

The other possible downside to buying an upconverting DVD player is incompatibility with either of the next-generation formats. Some consumers may not want to invest a couple of hundred dollars in a player which will not be compatible with the very latest disc technology. While there’s no getting around the incompatibility issue, it is entirely possible that current upconverting players will do a better job of displaying traditional DVDs than either Blu-Ray or HD DVD players.

Final Thoughts

The next generation of video disc players promises remarkable image quality, but the format war makes it a dangerous time to be an early adopter. Instead, HDTV owners may want to buy an upconverting DVD player to ensure that current DVDs look their best.

Resources

High definition video disc formats: Blu-Ray and HD DVD

• Digital Digest: The High Definition DVD FAQ
  

Maximizing standard DVD for HDTV screens

• A Primer on DVD in a High-Def world
• Upconverting DVD Player Options/Impressions (includes a list of upconverting DVD players)

Posted by moetting at 3:19 PM