High-tech battle: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD

TECHNOBABBLE

Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD? If you're like most people, you've simply avoided that question. The two high-definition home-video formats, with their dazzling picture quality and innovative features, are battling to succeed DVDs. The problem is that Blu-ray and HD DVD are incompatible, each requiring a dedicated player. Many consumers are waiting for a victor to emerge or, more likely so far, are content with standard DVDs. The din for high-def discs isn't going away, though. You will notice a big push for high-def discs in stores no matter where you turn as the holiday season approaches. You're also likely to hear all kinds of claims about Blu-ray and HD DVD from acquaintances or salespeople, such as the 10 that follow. Which are true? Let's see:

ONE FORMAT LOOKS BETTER THAN THE OTHER

FALSE. I actually overheard a salesman tell a customer this once in a store. Don't believe it. While Blu-ray and HD DVD technology have different specs, they deliver the same high-def image quality. I've watched the same movies in Blu-ray and HD DVD on a 102-inch screen, and there are no appreciable differences in picture quality.

Good movies are available in only one format

WRONG. It depends on what you like. Only one major studio, Warner (and some of its labels, such as HBO and New Line), is releasing its titles in both formats. The other big players have chosen sides, with HD DVD being backed by Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks, and Blu-ray being supported by Sony, Fox, MGM, Lions Gate and Disney. Those companies are trying to get consumers to champion a format by releasing an unprecedented number of exclusive, high-demand titles in the coming weeks. Today, for example, Sony releases the "Spider-Man" movies in Blu-ray only, while Paramount recently issued "Transformers" in HD DVD only. Here's a look at what's planned through the end of the year on HD DVD and Blu-ray, and in both formats:

HD DVD

Just out: "A Mighty Heart,"Carlito's Way,"Face/Off,"Inside Man,"The Jack Ryan Collection,"Seed of Chucky,"Transformers."

Nov. 6: "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."

Nov. 13: "Pride & Prejudice,"Shrek the Third."

Nov. 20: "Star Trek: The Original Series -- Season 1,"Tremors."

Nov. 27: "Anchor Man,"Hot Rod,"Mr. Bean's Holiday,"Old School."

Dec. 4: "Arctic Tale,"Battlestar Galactica: Season 1."

Dec. 11: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Dec. 18: "Balls of Fury,"Stardust."

Dec. 26: "Cat People,"Timecop."

Blu-ray disc

Just out: "Meet the Robinsons,"The Polar Express,"Scary Movie," the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Nov. 6: "Battle of Britain,"A Bridge Too Far,"Cars,"Pixar: Short Films,"Ratatouille."

Nov. 13: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind,"I, Robot,"Prison Break: Season 1."

Nov. 20: "Badder Santa," all four "Die Hard" films, "Hairspray,"Red Dawn,"Rescue Dawn,"The Santa Clause 3."

Nov. 27: "I Know Who Killed Me."

Dec. 4: "Cast Away,"Independence Day,"Mr. & Mrs. Smith,"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,"Ronin,"Superbad,"20 Million Miles to Earth."

Dec. 11: "High School Musical 2,"The Legend of Zorro,"Lost: Season 3,"Rent."

Dec. 18: "The Simpsons Movie,"Underdog."

Dec. 26: "Rush Hour 3."

Both formats

Just out: "A Clockwork Orange,"Eyes Wide Shut,"Full Metal Jacket,"License to Wed,"2001: A Space Odyssey,"The Shining,"The Sopranos: Season 6, Part 2."

Nov. 6: "The Aviator."

Nov. 13: The "Ocean's" films.

Nov. 27: "The Omega Man."

Dec. 11: All five "Harry Potter" films, "Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same."

Dec. 18: "Bladerunner,"That's Entertainment."

Dec. 26: "Pan's Labyrinth."

IF YOU HAVE AN HDTV, YOU'RE ALREADY WATCHING DVDS IN HIGH-DEF

NOPE. For a true high-def image, you need to play Blu-ray Discs or HD DVDs on their respective players, as well as have an HDTV. It's that simple. However, there are players and other components that will up-convert standard DVDs to high-def resolution, and many DVD players offer something called progressive scanning. Both produce a noticeably better picture than standard playback. For many, that's good enough -- one reason why HD DVD and Blu-ray have been slow to catch on.

HIGH-DEF DISC PLAYERS ARE EXPENSIVE

NOT REALLY. Ten years ago, I paid about $400 for a standard DVD player. Today, Toshiba's new HD-A3 HD DVD player retails for $300. A previous model can be found for less than $200. Xbox 360 owners can add an HD DVD drive for $200. Stand-alone Blu-ray players start at $500 for current models, with discontinued ones going for about $400. The best deal is to get the new 40-gigabyte PlayStation 3 video-game system, which plays Blu-ray Discs, for $400. HD DVD and Blu-ray players also play regular DVDs.

HIGH-DEF DISCS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN STANDARD DVDS

TRUE. Most new movies on HD DVD and Blu-ray retail for $35 to $40, while standard versions typically go for $27 to $30. Older movies and specialty releases in high-def usually retail for $25 to $30.

HIGH-DEF IMAGES ARE BEST APPRECIATED ON A LARGE DISPLAY

YES. The bigger the screen, the easier it is for casual viewers to see the sharpness and clarity of the high-def images delivered by HD DVD and Blu-ray, compared with standard DVDs. Are you going to see the same difference on a 37-inch display? Not as much.

THE HIGH-DEF WAR WILL BE DECIDED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

UNLIKELY. In September, the market-research firm Forrester Research said it expected the Blu-ray-HD DVD war to continue through early 2009. Forrester added that it expected Blu-ray to win eventually if player prices were slashed. HD DVD could stage an upset, it said, if more studios continued to defect to that format exclusively, as Paramount did recently after once issuing movies in both formats.

THIS IS JUST LIKE THE WAR BETWEEN VHS AND BETA

NOT QUITE. Rival videotape formats battled each other for more than 10 years. Although there were other factors, VHS won largely because of its maker's willingness to compromise playback quality for a longer recording time than Beta. It was all about consumers recording their favorite TV shows. The war between Blu-ray and HD DVD so far has focused on their containing prerecorded content such as movies.

AN ALL-FORMAT PLAYER WILL END THE HIGH-DEF WAR

MAYBE. But don't hold your breath. LG Electronics introduced a combo player earlier this year that plays HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, but it lacks features and has had compatibility problems. Samsung has delayed its more full-featured combo player, which is now slated for December. At about $1,000 for either player, though, it's cheaper for consumers to buy a dedicated player for each format. Warner Home Video might have the answer with TotalHD, a disc it has patented that offers Blu-ray on one side and HD DVD on the other, but it reportedly has been delayed because it appeals only to studios supporting both formats -- of which Warner is the only major one.

ONE WINNER WILL ARISE FROM THE HIGH-DEF WAR

NOT NECESSARILY. Just look at computers. PCs dominate the market, but Macs have an avid following and are surviving quite nicely. The same could happen with Blu-ray and HD DVD, where they coexist successfully even if one rules. The big question is whether high-def discs really will supplant standard DVDs or become just another technological side note, as happened with supposed replacements for compact discs such as SACD and Minidisc. For all the bluster about high-def discs, they still represent a small portion of the home-video market. For example, Paramount recently announced that its HD DVD of "Transformers" had set a record with first-week sales of 190,000. That's barely more than 2 percent of what its DVD counterpart sold in the same time, 8.3 million copies.

Randy A. Salas • 612-673-4542