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High-Definition DVDs

Gone are the days of VHS tapes and standard DVDs. These days, high-definition (HD) DVDs are all the rage. With HD DVD, you can experience top-quality picture and sound. What's more, operating an HD DVD player is just as easy as using a standard DVD player.

What is an HD DVD?

An HD DVD looksvery similar to a standard DVD. Both are the size of a CD (approximately 120 mm in diameter), and both store optical data. However, when compared to a basic DVD, an HD DVD offers the viewer a truer-to-life picture and better sound.

Four well-known studios support HD DVD:

New Line Cinema
Paramount Pictures
Universal Studios
Warner Bros.

With these big names producing HD DVDs, high-definition DVDs are easy to find at a number of electronics stores and online.

DVDs vs. HD DVDs

Although DVDs and HD DVDs look similar, they are really quite different. Here's a break down of how DVDs and HD DVDs compare:

Size and Structure: Both DVDs and HD DVDs share the same size and structure.
Capacity: The high-definition DVD has a greater capacity than a DVD. A DVD can hold between 4.7 GB and 8.5 GB. Depending on whether there's a single layer or a dual layer, an HD DVD can hold up to 30 GB.
Playback Time and Recording Time. DVDs play back with standard resolution, while HD DVDs obviously offer resolution in high definition. DVDs offer approximately 132 minutes of recording, while HD DVDs offer more than four hours of recording.
Lasers: HD DVDs use a blue laser to read the disc, while a red laser is required to view a standard DVD.The blue laser has a shorter wavelength than the red laser, vastly enhancing the storage capacity of the high-definition DVD.

If you can't decide between an HD DVD and a standard DVD, you can choose a hybrid, which features a DVD format on one side and an HD DVD on the other.

HD DVD Players

In order to view your HD DVDs, you'll need to buy an HD DVD player.While these players are required to view an HD DVD (i.e., you can't play an HD DVD on a standard DVD player), you can view normal DVDs on an HD DVD player.

The first HD DVD player was released by Toshiba in Japan in 2006. About one month later, the device made its appearance in the United States and was priced from approximately $500 to $800. These players were an instant hit with the public and stores sold out within days of putting the devices on their shelves.

Since then, other companies have manufactured versions of the HD DVD player, making the devices a bit more affordable. Today, you can expect to pay approximately $400 for a quality HD DVD player.

Buying an HD DVD Player

When buying an HD DVD player, you should consider several factors, including:

Audio: All HD DVD players must offer decoding for PCM, Dolby Digital AC-3, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby True HD.
Backward Compatibility: A true HD DVD player must be able to play all types of HD DVD, DVD and CD discs. This makes it easy to watch all of your favorite movies and listen to all of your favorite music.
Important Extras: Of course, when you are buying an HD DVD player, you should make sure it features basic extras, such as a user-friendly remote control, analog stereo output, component video output and motorized disc tray.

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