In the high definition horse race, it's HD DVD by a nose

**Tommy** · **08-03-06, 10:02 AM**

Blu-Ray and HD DVD have been locked in battle for supremacy in the next-generation optical disc wars, but it has so far been difficult to compare the merits of both technologies in head-to-head tests. Both had rocky product launches, and when the first players were finally released, each had problems. Toshiba's HD DVD was crippled by long load times (now improved), while the Samsung Blu-Ray player was also no speed demon, and had some scaling issues to boot.

Until the same disc was released in both formats, though, accurate comparisons weren't possible. Now that Warner has released three titles on both formats, comparisons have begun in earnest. High-Def Digest was one of the first sites to take an in-depth look at Training Day, Rumor Has It..., and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Their conclusion? The nod goes to HD DVD.

An unusual issue appeared right away. Training Day had cropping problems, with the Blu-ray version of the movie showing an estimated three to four percent less detail at the edges of the picture. The problem also "cropped up" in the other two films. With only one Blu-ray player available, it is impossible to say whether the problem is caused by the transfer process or by the player itself.

But Blu-ray's problems didn't end there. Occasional compression artifacts and brightness issues also led the site to crown HD DVD the winner. "In our first head-to-head comparison, we found the HD DVD to be superior," wrote Peter Bracke. "The unfortunate cropping of the Blu-ray image, coupled with more noticeable compression artifacts and an overall darker cast, can't compete with the more consistently pleasing presentation of the HD DVD."

Both formats are capable of exceptional picture quality; the differences mentioned appear to be minor and might not even be noticed by the average consumer. Still, early adopters who purchase expensive hardware are unlikely to be "average consumers" and may well care about such nuances.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060801-7399.html

**Sonnie** · **08-03-06, 04:25 PM**

It would seem to me that the $500 difference in price would totally make the HD-DVD the choice format to own. If I'm gonna pay twice as much I'd like it to be at least better... a good bit better.

**Tommy** · **08-03-06, 08:05 PM**

I agree, if its going to cost me twice as much for a piece of equipment it better be able to outperform the lower priced machine

**bobgpsr** · **08-03-06, 08:07 PM**

FYI,

Later reports by Stacey Spears indicate that the cropping issue may only be an issue with the Samsung player.

Bob

**Tommy** · **08-03-06, 08:33 PM**

Ya, thats what the reviewer on highdefdigest said too, its the Samsung player

Quote from Article:

The cropping issue evident on the other two titles also persists with 'Rumor Has It...' Though it's a bit harder to detect with this one -- given that the film is presented in 1.78:1 and thus there are no letterbox bars to help gauge aspect ratio -- comparisons of identical still frames between the Blu-ray and HD DVD did reveal the same level of cropping. I estimate that about three to four percent of the area on the sides of the picture is lost on these Blu-ray releases, which is considerable. However, given that this alternation in aspect ratio is so consistent between all three titles, it is very likely a problem with the Samsung player and not the original encoded material on the discs.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/rumorhasit.html

**Wayde** · **08-03-06, 09:13 PM**

I have to think mainstream perception is that HD DVD is ahead of this race.

The cover of Sound and Vision last month had a big headline ...

"The best Hi-Def picture - HD DVD"

I know it's just one magazine but it's a pretty big one for this industry. It seems you're seeing this kind of talk in a few places too. I'd have to say someone serious about buying but doesn't live this stuff will be hard pressed to find reviews that recommend BD over HD DVD today.

**Tommy** · **08-04-06, 07:38 AM**

Quote:

Wayde wrote:

I have to think mainstream perception is that HD DVD is ahead of this race.

The cover of Sound and Vision last month had a big headline ...

"The best Hi-Def picture - HD DVD"

I know it's just one magazine but it's a pretty big one for this industry. It seems you're seeing this kind of talk in a few places too. I'd have to say someone serious about buying but doesn't live this stuff will be hard pressed to find reviews that recommend BD over HD DVD today.

There's still alot of reviews promoting blu-ray but it is usually referencing future potential that the player doesnt currently have. Some of its biggest promises of 50gb disks and live interactive features just aint there. Failure rates of the BD50's still keep it from currently being available. Also the player doesnt have any way to connect to the internet so I dont know why they keep promoting this live feature stuff

Anything comparing what currently exists and is available seems to lean to HD DVD at least from what I have read and seen

**RollsRoyce** · **08-04-06, 12:46 PM**

I think this one's still too early to really call, guys. The race only just started

! Sony knows that the best-looking format doesn't always win (VHS vs Betamax, anyone?), and hopefully they learned a lesson from that debacle. Getting widespread support from content providers, hardware manufacturers, and retailers will be key. But they do need to get other manufacturers' players out and their cost down right away so the Samsung's issues-if they are only Samsung's issues-don't kill the format off before it gets started. They also need to get their content providers all using VC-1 encoding. Sony does have an advantage in that they own a major content provider, and until (and if) that provider is forced by market response to switch over to HD DVD production, the BD format will have at least a semblance of life. It's an option they didn't have with Betamax. Sadly this means that consumers will have to own two players ($$) or a not-yet-in-the-pipeline combo player to watch the full range of high definition content.

Looks like I'll be on the fence for a while longer.

**bobgpsr** · **08-04-06, 08:36 PM**

I'll go along with a lot of others and say two months after the PS3 is first sold we will know the outcome by the then current rate of BD movie sales. Jan or Feb 07. If BD sales rate are low at that time, then Blu-ray Discs will not beat out HD DVD and HD DVD will be left with deciding the overall acceptance of hi def discs over standard DVD for movies. Neither BD or HD DVD is good for archival data storage -- 300GB holographic WORM discs coming out this year (1.6TB discs in 2010) will be used for that.

Bob

**JimP** · **08-05-06, 03:10 AM**

The other day, Lite-On announced that they would be making seperate Blu-Ray and HD-DVD drives to go in PCs.

Frankly, if the price is right on these drives, I'd rather build a HTPC with both players and update the player software as it improves.

**Sonnie** · **08-05-06, 03:21 AM**

That might be the ticket there Jim. That's basically what the players are anyway... but as you say... best of both worlds with the HTPC idea. Might be cost effective too if the drives aren't to pricey.

**kingkip** · **08-05-06, 02:54 PM**

Yea it's either a universal or HTPC for me too. Format wars suck and I don't think the PS3 is going to be this big deal Blu-Ray player that is going to change the equation. Remember how many times you heard about the xbox and ps2 being your dvd player? How many of you actually use it as that now? The PS3 may be a stop-gap player but I doubt that it it serve as a stand-alone.

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