6724

There has been a lot of bad news lately for the HD DVD high def DVD format in its war with the rival Blu-ray format. For example, sales of Blu-ray discs have doubled the sales of HD DVD since the beginning of the year. This has even been true for a number of titles that were published in both formats and that the HD DVD format was relying on in order to promote special features that is provides and that Blu-ray doesn't provide.

Both of these formats have a lot in common. Both are able to store much more data than conventional DVD's on discs that are about the same size. All of that data can then be used to store an entire full length movie in the highest available HDTV resolution on a single disc. The bonus features that come with the movies can also be stored on the disc. The Blu-ray format actually has a much larger storage capacity, by as much as twenty gigabytes per disc, but HD DVD has much more extensive interactive features.

A major practical difference between the two formats is price. While the discs themselves cost about the same amount, HD DVD players have typically cost about half what Blu-ray players cost given the same features. This makes the apparent success of the Blu-ray format even more surprising.

These two incompatible formats have been trying to gain an edge on each other for quite a while, and there are a number of explanations for why Sony's Blu-ray format has done better than Toshiba's HD DVD format. For one thing, there are more movie studios publishing their titles exclusively on Blu-ray than there are studios that completely rely on HD DVD. So far Universal is the only studio that only publishes on HD DVD, while a variety of studios publish their titles in both formats, and several rely exclusively on Blu-ray. As a result, there are a lot more titles available on Blu-ray, which probably accounts for its lead in sales.

Another marketing strategy that seems to have paid off was to include a Blu-ray drive in the newest version of Sony's Play Station video game platform. This Blu-ray drive makes the Play Station 3 a Blu-ray player in addition to being a video game platform. Many Play Station fans bought this device for its video gaming capabilities and are now using it to play Blu-ray discs as well.

Most recently, Disney- which backs the Blu-ray format exclusively- has announced that it will drive another nail in HD DVD's coffin by releasing what it calls a "Blu-ray Title Wave" of its classic movies in the format. A massive number of movies from Disney are expected to be released throughout 2008, and are likely to generate even more interest in the format. This move is not completely without precedent. In fact, key timing of the release of Disney movie titles in the past was instrumental in the win of VHS in the video cassette format war of the nineteen eighties and in the adoption of DVD technology in the nineties. So there is a good chance that Disney's "Blu-ray Title Wave" could contribute to a decisive success on the part of Blu-ray in the next year or so.

Nicole Evans writes articles for consumers who want to find the Best Directv Offers currently available. She has written for many major publications about the latest Directtv Specials and Direct TV Promotions.

High Definition Television (HDTV) may be the new kid on the block giving viewers an experience that has not been seen since black & white television gave way to colour. Home Theater HDTV has become a medium which is presenting films etc as good as being at the cinema especially when a high definition projector is used to throw the image onto a large screen and accompanied by true surround sound, pass over the popcorn and let me settle down.

However, I am a bit ahead of myself here; the debate of the day is which is better for HDTV receiver output, Plasma or LCD?

LCD TV's have not been around as long as the Plasma variety so their technology is perhaps not as advanced as Plasma.

Plasma use a coating similar to a cathode ray tube (CRT) TV giving them a better contrast and black level performance than LCD's, and they offer slightly wider viewing angles, so the positioning of the set in the viewing room is not as critical as it is with LCD. Plasma TV's are often described as more cinematic making them a great choice for home theater viewing. Gamers and videophiles may be ultra-critical in comparing a Plasma with a LCD TV as the latter is better in brightly lit rooms and do not suffer from burn-in as Plasma are prone to do. Both Plasma and LCD are liable to lose brightness as they age just like CRT TV's. You can now buy a 42" Plasma for about the same price as a 40" LCD making them good value for money.

Plasma produces a very crisp image and is getting better with every new model. With each new model, performance goes up and prices come down, which is the right direction. Plasma TVs have had a slight advantage for viewing sports programs because you can turn plasma on and off faster than a liquid crystal pixel so there is less blur on fast moving images.

Although LCD is closing the gap in quality, one negative with them is dead pixels, a pixel may seem very small but if you get one dead pixel on a screen, it is amazing how much you notice it. People, who are used to HDTV's and constantly pay attention to the quality level, will notice the difference between TV's. LCD televisions are a good choice if you want a smaller flat-screen TV, and their typically bright image is a good choice for well-lit rooms. That gap is narrowing, but overall Plasma flat panels are a great way to view HDTV.

David Dutch has written a number of articles with hints and tips regarding HDTV for those who are considering buying a new television, you can find these free hints and tips at http://hdtvinfoonline.com

Currently, there are three main types of high-def televisions available: plasma, LCD and DLP.

DLP

Let's first look at with the least expensive, the DLP. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing, and is actually a rear projection TV. In DLP projectors, the image is created by a matrix of tiny mirrors, with each mirror representing one pixel on the screen. Though less expensive than other hi-def choices, this technology can still deliver 1080p resolution - the highest currently available.

While DLP televisions are no heavier than the other high definition types, they are quite a bit thicker (about 15-20 inches) and are not designed to be wall-mounted as of yet, though that may change in the near future.

Other minor drawbacks include the possibility of annoying fan noise in some models, and since the technology is more "mechanical" than plasma and LCD, there may be a higher incidence of breakdowns. Projection televisions of any type also are burdened with poorer viewing angles than the direct view sets, and color resolution may not be as sharp.

LCD

At a decidedly higher price point is the next type of set to consider: Liquid Crystal Diode televisions, also known as LCD.

LCD televisions utilize two "polarized" panels that sandwich a thin liquid-crystal gel. That gel is divided into individual pixels, each of which can be darkened or lightened according to how much precise voltage is passed through it - the more voltage, the darker the pixel. Since some light always leaks through the gel, an absolutely black screen is almost impossible for an LCD television to achieve, but advances in LCD technology have put these TVs nearly at the same level as plasma.

LCD computer monitors, because of their light weight and small footprint, quickly became the technology of choice in the industry. The smaller screen sizes created sharp LCD images, so small-screen TVs became LCD's niche. But in the past few years screen size has grown larger and larger while maintaining sharpness, and the previously poor viewing angles have become as good as plasma televisions can offer. Hi-Def LCD televisions are now a viable competitor to plasma televisions on the home entertainment field.

Plasma

Built in a similar manner to an LCD TV, in that a sandwich is created by two panels of glass, the material between the two panels is not a liquid gel, but rather a gas.

Though the gap is narrowing, plasma TVs generally exhibit greater brightness and sharper contrast then the competition - especially as the screen size increases. Plasma televisions can be may measure under 5 inches, and have a very wide viewing angle.

The usable lifespan of a plasma TV is 60,000 hours - which would allow you to watch TV for 6 hours a day for 27 years. Hi-Def plasma televisions can boast of contrast ratios of 30,000:1, a significant advantage over less expensive hi-def televisions. Although screen "burn-in" has been an issue in the past, technological advances have reduced this potential drawback to a minimum.

How to Choose

As with every other aspect of your long-awaited home entertainment project, in the long run the amount of money at your disposal will be the biggest factor in which television you ultimately choose. You would need to itemize the components you must buy, and prioritize it.

Audiophiles could choose to spend more money on a hi-tech surround sound system; others might choose to turn over a greater percentage of the budget to the designer. But no matter which option you choose, be comfortable knowing that any of the choices open to you are vastly superior to to what was available even in the recent past.

Frank Sarntarpia
Home Theater
Home Remodeling Blog