HD-DVD is Dead, but You Should Still Buy It

The battle over which high-definition DVD format consumers prefer is over, with Blu-ray discs winning out over HD-DVD. Even though HD-DVD is now a dead format, with no new players or DVDs being released, it can still be a staple of your home theater collection. Best of all, because the format is considered obsolete, you can pick up much of the hardware and movies for much less than Blu-ray, even though the quality of the films you will watch are equal.

THE HISTORY OF HD-DVD
HD-DVD was a format pioneered by Toshiba, and for a time, it appeared as if it might win the format war over supporters of Blu-ray discs (who included Sony). Toshiba managed to get HD-DVD players on the market first (in April of 2006), ahead of Blu-ray players, and both Warner Bros. and Universal supported the format early by releasing many of their films on HD-DVD discs. In addition to HD-DVD stand-alone players and recorders, the XBox 360 offered an HD-DVD player as an optional attachment device.

Although high-definition televisions sold well during this time, many consumers were not willing to spend the money and jump into either HD-DVD or Blu-ray between 2006 and 2008. Many consumers were also confused by the competing formats and did not know the difference between the two. While Toshiba and the XBox 360 offered HD-DVD players, Sony's new Playstation 3 played Blu-ray DVDs only, which had the support of studios like Fox.

By early 2008, Toshiba announced that nearly a million HD-DVD players had been sold, but the format was losing support from studios because sales had been much less than anticipated. At nearly the same time, Warner Bros., Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart all ended their support of HD-DVD, announcing they would support the Blu-ray format only, which by this time had the backing of more manufacturers and studios. Toshiba officially ended support of HD-DVD in February of 2008. The end of the format wars saw a jump in sales for Blu-ray, and the fall 2008 release of "The Dark Knight" on Blu-ray DVD sold over a million copies.

ADDING HD-DVD TO YOUR HOME THEATER
Even though HD-DVD is officially dead, that doesn't mean it can't be an important part of your home theater experience. There are two primary reasons why you should consider HD-DVD for your home: a low cost and a large title catalog. If you can find a low-cost player and are satisfied with the titles available on HD-DVD, you could save a significant amount of money over purchasing some of the same titles on Blu-ray.

Since Toshiba discontinued HD-DVD players, prices on a number of players have dropped below $100 from online retailers. The best deal in players comes from XBox, who has discounted their HD-DVD add-on player (which includes the 2005 version of "King Kong" on HD-DVD) as low as $50 from some retailers. It is sometimes possible to find a used player online or in video game stores (where players often trade in) for a lower price. Fry's even offers the player in packages, bundled with movies or TV shows at a special price.

Stand-alone HD-DVD players are perfectly compatible with your current home theater system, so you don't have to worry about their discontinuation making anything out-of-date. The XBox HD-DVD players easily hooks up to your home system through your XBox 360, and with the player half the size of the 360, doesn't take up much space.

Once you have found a low-cost player, it is time to consider whether the HD-DVD library has enough titles to make a player purchase worthwhile. With the discontinuation of HD-DVD, no new movies or TV shows are being released in the format, so what you find now is all that you will be able to enjoy. According to The Digital Bits, there are 429 titles available on HD-DVD. Amazon.com offers over 600 titles for sale. Other retail websites offer anywhere from a few dozen to a couple of hundred titles. Most major movie titles come from Warner Bros., Universal, and Paramount.

The titles available on HD-DVD are a broad mix of newer hits and older "catalog" titles. Among the top current films available are "Transformers," "300," "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Serenity," "Batman Begins," "Disturbia," "Happy Feet," and "We Are Marshall." Among some of the older "catalog" titles are films like "Casablanca," "Top Gun," "Mummy 1 & 2," "Blade Runner," "Terminator 3," "Spartacus," and "The Ultimate Matrix Collection." TV series like "Heroes Season 1" and "Battlestar Galactica Season 1" are available, as are select seasons from "The Sopranos" and "Smallville." Movie series such as "Lethal Weapon," "Superman," the "Bourne Trilogy," and "Mission Impossible" are also available.

Many of the titles available on HD-DVD can be found for much less than their Blu-ray counterparts, and often include identical content. The picture and sound quality are the same, although some HD-DVD supporters claim the format can provide a superior picture to Blu-ray. With some careful shopping, it may actually be cheaper to buy a discounted HD-DVD player and a library of movies for much less than buying the same titles on Blu-ray, which range from $15 to $30 each at a retailer like Best Buy.

Fry's recently offered the XBox 360 HD-DVD player packaged with the titles "King Kong," "Heroes Season 1," and "Battlestar Galactica Season 1" for $50. At the same time, "Heroes Season 1" on Blu-ray was selling for $70 to $90. With some smart shopping, especially during sales and at sites like ebay, you can easily build an HD movie collection without paying high prices.

Sources: The Digital Bits, Amazon, Toshiba, Best Buy, Fry's