Coming this spring!
The next level of DVD --> High Definition DVD and Blu-Ray!
A good place to start is this demo:
http://www.toshibahddvd.com
TV is changing. Years down the line (when prices come down even more), the days of the square TVs will be a distant memory. Digital widescreen TVs are 100% the future.
2006 marks the year of a leap forward in optical technology for home entertainment. A better kind of DVD is upon us.
Both HD-DVD and the rival format Blu-Ray (both high definition formats) output at a resolution of 1080. DVDs today output at 480.
HD-DVD and Blu-ray are competing formats. At first, you would have to buy a separate player for each format, but combo players will come out eventually.
Blu-Ray will be included in the upcoming Playstation 3 and is expected to be the primary format winner.
The movie studios have been silly this time around (like the early DVD / DIVX days) as some of the studios will only make movies for one format OR the other. More on this later.
Blu-Ray discs hold 50GB of data versus 30GB for HD-DVD. Current DVDs hold just about 9 GB. Amazing. Both discs are the same size as a regular DVD.
Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players will be able to play older DVD discs. Of course regular DVD players will not be able to play the new kinds of discs. Regular DVDs will still come out.
If you have an old square analog TV, you have no reason to get a new player.
Remember that the broadcast industry is changing from analog TV to digital TV. Feb. 17, 2009 is supposed to be the last day of analog broadcasting in the United States (it was the end of 2006 till it was pushed back last December). More info on that:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
Current DVDs output at 480i or 480p. Old square TVs that most people still have, display 480i. Some that utilize Progressive Scan will display 480p.
I is interlaced, P is progressive. P is better. HD-DVD will be 1080i and Blu-Ray 1080p (which is FAR better). If you have a new 720p widescreen TV, it really wouldn't matter what system you choose when it comes to resolution. Just remember that the TV standard is going to be 1080p eventually.
New widescreen TVs come in different resolutions (720p 1080i 1080p) but often look like this: 1280 x 720 – with the last digits showing how high the resolution goes. Look at the fine print.
New widescreen TVs may or may not be high-definition. Again, look at the fine print.
When buying a new widescreen TV, there are many options to choose from: Projection, LCD, DLP, Plasma. Each has their pros and cons.
Right now, a good new Samsung 50” DLP 1080p TV would be the way to go! This will allow you to get the most out of a high definition DVD player in the future. If you want to invest in an expensive High Definition TV right now, look for 1080p.
HD-DVD movies will be coming out by this March. Blu-Ray will come out a few months later. Amazon already has Toshiba's HD-A1 HD-DVD player on pre-order for $499.99! Amazing price for a first generation new technology player!
If you think DVDs look and sound good – just wait.
Recent News Items:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_hi_te/gadget_show_dvd_wars
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060104/film_nm/film_bluray_dc_2
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060105/20060105005946.html?.v=1
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060106/tc_nm/electronics_sony_stringer_dc_3
Links to two of Toshiba's user manuals with specifications for their 1080i HD-DVD players:
http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/hddvd/pdf/HD-A1.pdf
http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/hddvd/pdf/HD-XA1.pdf
