Blu-ray or HD-DVD Players

With all the talk and buzz about High Definition television sets, obvious thoughts in your mind are going to be about that old DVD players you have. What kind of picture quality it has? Didn't you always think that DVDs were high definition to start with? We are going to address some of these doubts and questions you might have about your DVD player. This could also be helpful if you're in the market to purchase one.

 

First of all, let's talk about your current DVD player. Most of the standard definition DVD players have a resolution of 480. On the other hand, resolution of a 35mm theater film is 4096 by 2160. So DVDs are already scaled down big time when they are sold to consumers. One of the reasons is the current television sets most people have (standard CRT sets). If your TV can't display High Definition videos, there is no reason to purchase a DVD that's in High Definition since it is going to cost more to get it and you can't enjoy it anyway. However, with lower prices, HD televisions are now reality for a sizeable consumer base. If these folks continue to use their old DVD players with their new HD sets, they are missing out. Your HD set will up convert the 480i input signal to 720i/p or 1080i/p but you will not see more resolution than the original DVD(480), in some case picture might even look worse than on a regular TV.

 

A simple solution to this problem is to create DVDs in High Definition and that's where you need a new DVD player to play them. There's a new technology that puts high-definition movies onto DVDs. That's right, DVD movies with much greater resolution, as in way better pictures than standard DVDs. So if you have a HDTV or plan to buy one, you can also purchase one of the new high-definition DVD players and watching a movie at home will never be the same. This new generation of DVD players is called HD DVD or Blu-Ray Disc players.

 

But there are a few things you should be aware of. First and foremost, there used to be two different formats available for this new DVD technology. And they're not compatible. In the case of the competing HD-DVD and Blu-Ray standards, Blu-Ray is the only format available going forward. Plus, like the first generation of DVD players, the first HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players will be expensive - probably around $1,000. On top of that, it's not entirely clear that the discs and the players will support 1080p - some may be limited to 1080i. There are other issues as well, such as whether many of the HDTV sets that are already in people's homes but that don't have the latest digital connections will be able to display the high-definition images from these new discs. Which, of course, seems entirely unfair to the folks who own older HDTV sets.

 

Before you decide to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player, consider the following as far as the television set you should have or plan to purchase:

 

1. Size does matter. When you buy a 42" HD set and start using it. First thought that is going to bug you is "I should have gotten that 50 inch set." You might take back and get a 50" and in few months the 50" will start to look small. In summary, get the biggest screen you can. Even if it's too big for your room. Also remember to get the resolution that will become more and more common down the road(1080p).
2. Resolution. The marketing makes it sound like you want 1080p. The problem is nothing supports it yet. Your current HD-DVD is 1080i. Your video game console (Xbox 360) is 1080i. The Sony camcorder is 1080i. 1080p promises a smoother image on rapidly moving content. But, 1080i is stunning as well. Absolutely stunning.
3. DVD player you have matters. Xbox has a DVD built in. But HD-DVD is much sharper, even when playing regular old DVDs. Why? It has a better "scalar" built in. Make sure your is a scaling DVD player as well. Go online and do some homework.
4. Look at the resolution of your screen. Most stores only show low resolution HD on their screens. It makes all the screens look good, even cheaper ones. But, get them home and only screens that truly support 1080i or 1080p look good. Be careful buying stuff just by what it looks like in the stores. You want the one that says it supports at least 1920×1080 native resolution.
5. Be prepared to be in debt. Your HD set is going to be expensive. Prices change daily and sometimes a HD set could be as much as 20% cheaper from one retailer to another. Remember your local Best Buy or Circuit city stores do have a 30-day price match guarantee and they will refund you the difference if you find the product cheaper elsewhere within this period. However, read and understand the fine print, most of the times, they will not match the price from an online store. So do your price research online first before you head out to one of your local stores. Local stores are a great place to go and watch a HD set in action but they could be a bad choice when it comes to buying due to price.
6. Cables and accessories? At least $300. Make sure you price shop even AFTER you buy your HDTV set. You could save a lot of money by buying online if you know exactly what you need. That's why it pays to be a knowledgeable shopper than a impulsive one. Learn about cables. Most HD sets have two HDMI connectors. If you need a HDMI cable, make sure it is supported on your setup.
7. Much attention is being given to the three upcoming, next-generation video game consoles formats, although not all of them will take advantage of 1080p. Only the Sony PS3 is scheduled to be 1080p capable, while the others will focus on mainstream 1080i / 720p and 480p.
8. High definition camcorders are today a reality, but they currently only support 720p / 1080i resolutions.
9. And finally, just as we have DVD players today that can "upscale" DVD's 480p resolution to 720p or 1080i, for use with HD televisions, we will soon see players that can upscale both DVD and high definition DVD to 1080p resolutions that will feed into the new 1080p TVs.