Inside Consumer Electronics

Top UK tech magazine T3 recently asked me for an opinion piece on the Blu-ray vs HD DVD format war. They wanted to know who I thought was going to win. I suspect that my advice wasn’t as clear cut as they wanted…

HD DVD or Blu-ray? My advice is to enjoy both – using one for movies and the other games.

As a DVD replacement, HD DVD is ideal. The title choice is strong (what isn’t available I’ll just watch on Sky HD) and the $500 ticket price right. $1000 Blu-ray decks seem perversely expensive in comparison.

HD DVD hardware is also amazingly sophisticated. Unlike Blu-ray, decks are internet enabled from the outset. Hook up your player via broadband and you’ll never have to watch the same trailers every time you spin a disc. Instead, the unit will go online and download new ones (in HD). HD DVD movies can even be legally ripped for viewing from/on your PC or mobile device.

But owning an HD DVD player will not stop me getting a Blu-ray-based Playstation 3; 25GB BD discs will offer a depth of gameplay that the DVD-based Xbox 360 can’t hope to match. I just don’t plan on making a noisy games console my high definition movie player of choice.

# posted by Guard Gotham : 11:18 AM