High definition TV explainedHigh definition DVDs
You can now buy a number of popular films on DVD in high-definition format. HD films take up a lot of space and won’t fit on your average DVD disc, so a new type of disc has been created with greater capacity.
But if you want to watch a high definition DVD it’s not a cheap exercise. Not only do you have to get the DVD, you need a special DVD player and an HD-ready TV too.
Rival formats
There were 2 rival high definition DVD formats: Blu-ray, backed primarily by Sony, and HD-DVD, supported by Toshiba among others. But now that Toshiba has decided to withdraw from the battle and stop producing players Blu-ray has won the day.
Blu-ray is the new HD DVD format
Drawbacks
However, HD players have their drawbacks. On the players we've tested basic features like resume from standby are missing, they’re generally more complex and sluggish, use more power and are pretty noisy. High-definition players also cost about ten times more than a standard player.
HD-ready TV compatibility
More seriously the move to high-definition DVD created a mismatch between new discs and older HD equipment. New high-definition TVs and DVD players are better equipped to cope with the new technology but older HD-ready TVs may suffer a jerky effect on panning or motion scenes.
Games consoles
Microsoft’s Xbox 360
The Xbox already offers HD gaming. The higher resolution makes a big difference to video games.
Sony’s PlayStation 3
The PS3’s games come on Blu-Ray disks and you can watch Blu-Ray movies on it.
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