High-Def Video Superguide

The Format War Rages

The competing Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats aren't entirely dissimilar. Their differences, however, are significant. Blu-ray supports higher-capacity discs, which gives the format more headroom to mature. Blu-ray's additional space also allows movie studios to provide full, uncompressed audio (called Linear PCM) rather than solely compressed (but high-bit-rate) lossless audio technologies, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Where the Blu-ray Disc format falters today is in how much interactivity it can deliver in the movie playback experience. The new world of interactivity includes such features as on-demand picture-in-picture displays, the ability to bookmark favorite scenes, Java-based games, and extra content that you can download to your player directly (such as supplemental audio tracks, featurettes, or trailers) via ethernet. Though interactivity is a big part of the Blu-ray specification, the spec inexplicably failed to require early Blu-ray Disc players to have the minimum hardware needed to enable such features. Players produced after October 2007 will fix this problem by adding a 256MB minimum requirement for storage and a secondary video decoder (for on-demand picture-in-picture video).

The HD DVD format, by contrast, specified more-stringent minimum requirements from the outset. All HD DVD players must have an ethernet connection, a secondary video decoder, and at least 128MB of built-in storage.

These minimum specs enable all current HD DVD players to support the format's fun interactive features, giving you the ability to create bookmarks held in memory, even after you eject a disc; to play a secondary video stream (for viewing discs mastered with picture-in-picture extras that you can switch on and off while watching the movie); to customize your viewing experience (by changing the color of a car on screen, for example); and to download firmware updates and additional content (such as trailers or extra features that will eventually be stored on remote servers). The catch is, these features are not available on all movie titles (see "Now Playing on Blu-ray and HD DVD" for details on what studios are doing on their movie discs). In fact, no HD DVD movie title today takes advantage of the ethernet connection the format requires players to have.

Dueling technical specs aside, Blu-ray for now appears to be a better gamble than HD DVD, if only for the greater number of movie studios supporting the format. For flicks such as Cars, Casino Royale, Eragon, and the Pirates of the Caribbean Series, you'll need Blu-ray, since those films are produced by studios in the Blu-ray camp. But King Kong, Lost in Translation, Midnight Run, and Serenity, for example, are HD DVD only.

Blu-ray Disc vs. HD DVD

Click the icon below to see how the two formats stack up, spec by spec.

The Players

The ongoing format duel is just one reason to put off buying a high-def player; over time, these early players will be eclipsed by lower-priced and more-capable models. But if you're itching to start your high-def movie experience now, you'll find more choice among Blu-ray players than HD DVD models. We evaluated seven stand-alone units, two HD DVD and five Blu-ray, in the PC World Test Center. Toshiba's $500 HD-A2 and $1000 HD-XA2 are that company's second generation of HD DVD players. The Blu-ray models in this story are all first-generation products: Philips's $800 BDP9000, Panasonic's $1300 DMP-BD10, Pioneer's $1500 Elite BDP-HD1, Samsung's $800 BD-P1000, and Sony's $1000 BDP-S1. (LG Electronics declined to submit its BH100 for this roundup; the BH100 is the first player that can handle both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies.)

In addition, we looked at two gaming consoles that double as next-gen video players. Sony Computer Entertainment's $600 PlayStation 3 (with a 60GB hard drive) has an integrated Blu-ray drive that handles both game and movie play. Microsoft's $400 Xbox 360 (with a 20GB hard drive) requires the $200 Xbox HD DVD Player add-on to show HD DVD movies.

To determine the best players of the group, we looked at the same scenes from the Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of Corpse Bride, Good Night and Good Luck, Mission: Impossible III, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), and Rumor Has It. To gauge how well these players upscale standard-definition movies to 1080p, we also viewed selected scenes from the DVD versions of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Seabiscuit.

We viewed the movies side by side on two calibrated 50-inch Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 1080p plasma TVs. The TVs match the 1080p resolution used by most Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, including the ones we used in our testing. They also have a Pure/Dot-by-Dot aspect-ratio setting that let us pipe the raw video feed from the player to the display without any scaling. (The term 1080p refers to 1080 lines of progressive-scan video--double the content of 1080i, or interlaced, video.) We tested all but two of the players by outputting images at 1080p over an HDMI connection to our TV; we assessed the Toshiba HD-A2 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 combo at their maximum output of 1080i over HDMI and component video, respectively.

Since the filmmakers weren't there to tell us which images were truer to their visions, we used our own judgments when evaluating variables such as background objects, color saturation, skin tones, and shadow detail. The race was a close one; our picks for image quality reflect not a preference for Blu-ray over HD DVD, but rather how these specific players rendered movies. The Samsung BD-P1000 earned our Best Buy for its balance of great image quality and a midrange price of $800.

Players' Image Quality

Two Blu-ray players, Pioneer's Elite BDP-HD1 and Sony's BDP-S1, gave us the best images: Each scored in the top two for image detail, color quality, and brightness and contrast across both our high-definition and our standard-definition tests. In Rumor Has It, we could almost count the hairs in the stubble on Kevin Costner's face. Both players rendered fine details, which in turn added depth--in the crowded backstage scene of Phantom's chapter 3, for example, and in Mission: Impossible III, chapter 7. In the latter, when the camera pulled back in the Vatican, hallways and staircases appeared three-dimensional, and cobblestones rendered clearly. Shadow detail in the black-and-white Good Night and Good Luck was so sharp we could see the costume details on extras who weren't positioned in the light.

Our Best Buy Samsung and the second-ranked Philips rendered these scenes very nicely as well, though a shade less distinctly (still other players reproduced the scenes just a tad more blurrily than even the Samsung and the Philips did). Sony's PlayStation 3 performed comparably to the Samsung and the Philips with Blu-ray Discs but disappointed in its handling of standard-def DVDs--not surprising, as it can't upscale them to 1080p, a capability Sony says it will offer in a firmware update.

Toshiba's HD-XA2 produced strong image quality as well. With a score of Very Good from our judges, its output was the best of the HD DVD players. But colors looked slightly muted compared with those generated by the best players, and background details were a little less sharp and deep.

Panasonic's DMP-BD10 handled detail, brightness, and contrast very well, but the unit faltered on color quality. A mild reddish tint marred skin tones.

Toshiba's HD-A2--the least-expensive player in this group--suffered from subpar color handling, brightness and contrast, and detail. Only the Xbox 360 combo did worse, and by a significant margin. The Xbox 360's component-only output produced images that were less sharp and crisp than those output over HDMI. Both players top out at 1080i resolution, which could explain the interlacing artifacts we saw in Mission: Impossible III's chapter 7, where a brick wall showed a distracting moiré pattern and vibrating bricks. Viewed on competing players at 1080p, the bricks were solid, distinct, and motionless.

Audio Comparisons

The best sound came from the Sony BDP-S1, followed by the two Toshiba models (which tied for second place overall) and the Pioneer and the Philips (which tied for fourth).

Dissecting these players' audio support is a mess. (For specifics on the best audio output these players support, see "Chart: High-Definition Players.") If you thought DVD's sound terminology was arcane--with Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, DTS Digital Surround, and PCM--you ain't heard nothing yet. To that jargon add Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and Linear PCM.

To find out what all that will sound like to your ears, we attached each of the players to Pioneer's Elite VSX-82TXS audio/ video receiver and NHT's Classic series 5.1-channel surround-sound system. We configured the players to handle their own audio processing.

In the first two chapters of The Phantom of the Opera, we listened for the sounds of birds flying, the clatter of the crystals on chandeliers, and the strains of instruments in the orchestral score; all sounded crisp and clear on the Sony BDP-S1 and on the two Toshiba players. We compared the 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound tracks; the Blu-ray version of this film lacks the HD DVD version's Dolby TrueHD track.

Linear PCM blew me away in informal tests I performed using the Blu-ray version of The Last Waltz, a 1976 concert film recorded in high-quality analog. As heard piped through our test setup, from either the Sony BDP-S1 or the Pioneer, the film's music hit me with the full force of a live rock concert; every inflection by the individual musicians was perfectly clear. The same Linear PCM sound track played through the Philips and Samsung players, and to a lesser extent the Panasonic model and the Sony PlayStation 3, sounded muffled and muddy.

Player Specs and Details

The three HD DVD models--Toshiba's HD-A2 and HD-XA2, and Microsoft's Xbox 360--clearly lead the way in integrating interactive features, including picture-in-picture video, persistent bookmarks you can view after ejecting a disc, and the capability to deliver future content via ethernet. This is not surprising, given that the HD DVD format requires players to have the necessary hardware for a minimum level of interactivity.

Annoying design problems among the players abound. All of the units we tested responded slowly to commands, but the Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 and the Sony BDP-S1 were the worst; each of those models took more than a minute just to accept a disc. Sony gave the BDP-S1 power and eject buttons that are merely thin slivers of metal, placed so high on the front panel that they're difficult to get to if you've stacked another component on top of the player. Toshiba's HD-XA2 remote uses similar sliver buttons, making it frustrating to use. And the Panasonic DMP-BD10 requires you to lower its front flap--which conceals the drive tray and buttons--just to use the machine.

Toshiba's players had issues when we switched from the players to another HDMI input, and then back again. The HD-XA2 stopped, indicated that the resolution had been changed, and insisted on restarting the film from the beginning. The HD-A2 froze up entirely, and needed to be rebooted. Toshiba says it is investigating why this HDMI handshaking issue occurred.

The Game Console Option

Microsoft's and Sony's game machines offer a relatively inexpensive way to enter the world of high-def movies. While the PlayStation 3 easily beats the Xbox 360 here, neither system offers an optimal home theater experience.

If you already own an Xbox 360, the USB-connected HD DVD Player costs an additional $200--a bargain if you're a gamer looking to play high-def movies on the cheap. But movie playback is clearly a secondary consideration on the Xbox 360. For instance, when you press the eject button on the Windows Media Center-like remote, out comes the Xbox 360's DVD drive tray; the HD DVD Player's tray remains closed. Furthermore, the Xbox 360 provides the worst picture and sound of the bunch by a wide margin, due to its analog-only component video and comparatively limited audio support.

Sony's PlayStation 3 (with its slick power button).The dramatically sloped PlayStation 3 offers a far better movie experience--though, like the Xbox 360, it won't integrate well with other electronics components in your entertainment rack. For now, the PlayStation 3 is the cheapest Blu-ray player around, even if you factor in an extra $25 for the optional remote control. The PS3 produces terrific high-definition video, and it has some pleasing movie-centric touches--insert a movie disc into its slot-loading Blu-ray drive, and the unit powers up and starts the movie. But it also has a way of reminding you that movies aren't its main business: Slip in a disc while the unit is on, and nothing happens (you have to initiate playback manually).

Buy Now--or Tomorrow?

Even if your HDTV doesn't support 1080p resolution, any of these next-gen players will give you a huge image-quality advantage over a conventional DVD player. Our best player overall happens to be a Blu-ray player, Samsung's BD-P1000; it delivers great image quality at a more reasonable price than does the Sony BDP-S1, our best image and audio performer.

Not in a hurry to see high-def movies? I recommend waiting another six months. By then, lower-cost players will be available (Sony has announced a $600 Blu-ray player, due out this summer). And a clearer winner in the format war may emerge.

High-Def Movies on a PC

So you want to play HD DVD or Blu-ray discs from Hollywood on your existing computer? Well, it's going to cost you--not only in cash, but also, if your experience is anything like mine, in frustration. The hardware you'll need is expensive, the software is immature, and your graphics card or monitor, even if recently purchased, may not measure up.

Though I got my setup to play Blu-ray movies, I had difficulties with HD DVD movies, proof that the upgrade path to high-def playback isn't ready for the masses just yet. Playing high-def movies on your PC requires more than just adding a new optical drive to your existing rig. Hardware and software vendors recommend at least 1GB of memory and a dual-core processor.

The bigger gotcha to playing back both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD movies, though, concerns copy-protection schemes. Commercial movie discs are encrypted with the new Advanced Access Content System (AACS) protocol; but Intel's High Definition Content Protection, a hardware handshaking/security protocol embedded in device firmware, is the real roadblock. All of the hardware in your PC's chain--the HD DVD or Blu-ray drive, the graphics board, and the monitor--must be HDCP-certified to play back copy-protected content at full resolution via a digital connection, either DVI or HDMI.

Shopping for HDCP-certified devices remains tricky. If the box doesn't say "certified," don't buy the product. Some graphics cards state HDCP compliance in their specs, or boast HDTV output, but don't actually implement HDCP (only implementation earns the "certified" moniker). Look for a card based on an nVidia GeForce 7- or GeForce 8-series GPU with PureVideo HD drivers, or AMD's ATI Radeon X1650 or a better card with the latest Catalyst drivers. Even if a board has one of these chips, however, that doesn't guarantee that it implements HDCP. nVidia grants its PureVideo HD logo only to certified cards; AMD doesn't have such a logo at this time.

Because of HDCP, the hardware you'll need to play high-def Hollywood movie discs at top quality on your computer gets expensive quickly, beginning with a $500 hd100 HD DVD-ROM drive from HP or a Blu-ray burner such as Sony's $700 BWU-100A or Lite-On's $600 LH-2B1S. Add to this an HDCP-certified video card ($150 or more) and an HDCP-certified monitor of reasonable size (expect to pay at least $700 to get 1920 by 1200 resolution for full 1080p; though less-costly HDCP monitors exist, many don't accept 1080p output). The total upgrade bill could easily top $1500 if you were starting from square one.

Getting It to Work

To see just what it takes to upgrade a system to play HD, I tried a number of components in search of the perfect setup--which I subsequently redefined as one that actually worked. My own Dell UltraSharp 2405 monitor let me play high-def only through the analog VGA connector, so I switched to ViewSonic's $799 VX2435wm and Dell's $1399 UltraSharp 2707WFP (24 and 27 inches, respectively) HDCP-certified wide-screen displays. Replacing my existing graphics card with a GeForce 8800-based card completed the HDCP chain.

I then turned my attention to watching movies. I had to install several versions of CyberLink's Power DVD Ultra 7.3 software before I managed to get Blu-ray movies to play. Alas, HD DVD was more problematic. I never got my ad hoc test system to play HD DVD movies via my monitor's DVI connection; even the PowerDVD 6.5 HD DVD Edition app that came with HP's hd100 drive took me only as far as the FBI warnings, titles, and menus before a black screen kicked in. HP and CyberLink were at a loss to explain this.

You can avoid compliance worries by buying an expensive yet decked-out machine that's preconfigured for high-def playback. Doing so worked best for me: I had no issues using HD DVD on a preconfigured HP Media Center PC.

Is watching movies on your PC worthwhile? Yes and no. The picture is a visual treat, visibly better than DVD, even on a screen that's small compared with a gargantuan plasma or LCD TV. The question is, will you get playback to work on your PC? Unfortunately, you may not know this until you actually jump in and give it a try.

Sidebar: Now Playing on Blu-ray and HD DVD

Dim the lights, kick back with some popcorn, and get ready to enjoy movies as never before. Once you see the difference high-definition video makes, you'll find it difficult to go back to watching standard-def DVD.

Don't expect these early discs to have a slew of whiz-bang extra features, however. High-def discs (which run $20 to $40 a pop) carry a premium--but you're paying mostly for the improved image quality. Some discs provide high-end audio, and a few supply extra features in 1080p; but too many of the high-def discs simply have the same extras and 5.1-channel Dolby Digital or DTS Surround sound tracks as their DVD counterparts. Audio options vary among titles, and even the same title may not get the same audio treatment across formats. The Blu-ray Disc version of The Phantom of the Opera, for example, has only 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio, while the HD DVD version provides 5.1-channel Dolby TrueHD.

The extras offered with movies depend greatly on what the disc's format currently supports. Movies in both formats introduce pop-up menus, which let you do things like select scenes without exiting the movie. Other features, such as on-demand picture-in-picture commentaries you can turn on at will, are on only HD DVD movie discs right now, largely because Blu-ray players can't handle them. HD DVD discs currently have more-innovative extra features than Blu-ray ones do. For additional information on the extras, see "Blu-ray, HD DVD: Which Movies Do You Want to Watch?"

Chart: High-Definition Players

See our ranked chart of all the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players we tested in this roundup, including full specs and the latest pricing information.

How We Tested

We viewed the movies side by side on two calibrated 50-inch Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 1080p plasma TVs. The TVs match the 1080p resolution used by most Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, including the ones we used in our testing. They also have a Pure/Dot-by-Dot aspect-ratio setting that let us pipe the raw video feed from the player to the display without any scaling. (The term "1080p" refers to 1080 lines of progressive-scan video--double the content of 1080i, or interlaced, video.) We tested all but two of the players by outputting images at 1080p over an HDMI connection to our TV; we assessed the Toshiba HD-A2 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 combo at their maximum output of 1080i over HDMI and component video, respectively.

To determine the best players of the group, we looked at the same scenes from the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD versions of Corpse Bride, Good Night and Good Luck, Mission: Impossible III, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), and Rumor Has It. To gauge how well these players upscale standard-definition movies to 1080p, we also viewed selected scenes from the DVD versions of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Seabiscuit.

Jon L. Jacobi, Melissa J. Perenson, and Lincoln Spector; testing by Jeff Kuta

Jon L. Jacobi is a San Francisco-based freelance writer. Melissa J. Perenson is senior products editor for PC World. Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector writes about film for Bayflicks.net.