To HD-DVD or not to HD-DVD?
614671
If you are an equipment manufacturer, parts supplier or content provider, the question has unquestionably been posed to you before.
262537
Warner Brothers is dumping HD DVD and going Blu-ray exclusively. Does this spell the end of the format war?
184081
Physical media out-evolved, apparently Blu-ray Disc beat HD DVD, but who cares? Downloads, not physical media, are the future of HD content consumption. So said Apple CEO Steve Jobs this week, a comment that's a distant echo of allegations made by Transformers director Michael Bay last year.â¦
743976
(InfoWorld) - If you're thinking of using your PC to play high-definition Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD movies then you might have to think again. While computer drives for both blue-laser formats make PC playback a possibility, you'll need to have a high-performance PC if you want to watch the majority of movies. Even then, some movies might not playback smoothly, manufacturers of multimedia playback and burning software suites said at this week's Ceatec show in Chiba, Japan. HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc allow the use of three compression systems: MPEG2, VC1 or MPEG4 AVC. To date, most movies have used the latter but that's the hardest for PCs to process, said Noritaka Baba, a manager at CyberLink. The company produces the Power DVD software and other similar multimedia suites. CyberLink recommends that consumers have at least an Intel 3.2GHz Pentium D processor, which is one of the fastest processors that Intel makes. For laptop PCs, the company recommends at least a 2GHz Core Duo T2500 processor for playback of MPEG4 AVC encoded content. Discs using the VC1 codec can be played back with slightly less powerful hardware and MPEG2 encoded video requires the least amount of processing power, he said. In a demonstration on the HD DVD booth at Ceatec, a computer was playing the movie "Shinobi." Encoded in MPEG4 AVC at about 20Mbps it required about 70 percent of the power of the 3.2GHz Pentium D processor for playback, said Kazutaka Aiso, manager of the OEM sales group at Nero's Japan unit. He said that of all the software on the market there is one title that won't playback smoothly on a PC. The title, "Yozakura," was the first HD DVD movie on the market in Japan and consists of high-definition images of Japanese cherry blossoms. The video on the disc averages around 30Mbps and that's just too much for today's PCs to handle, he said. CyberLink and InterVideo, which produces the WinDVD software, also reported problems playing that title. The problems only apply to playback of high-definition video because processing of the video needs to be done in real time. Consumers can get away with much less powerful hardware if they want to burn HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc media -- it will simply take longer to complete the task as the processor's computing power drops, said Baba. The advice of the software makers is borne out by the first computers to feature drives for the new disc formats. Sony's Vaio L computer, which was launched earlier this week at the show and includes a Blu-ray Disc drive, runs on Core 2 Duo processors running at between 1.73GHz and 2.16GHz.Â NEC's Valuestar X, which is also based on a Blu-ray Disc drive, runs a 3.4GHz Pentium D processor. AndÂ Toshiba's HD DVD-based Qosmio G30Â has a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor inside.
375326
Hardware manufacturers are in fix when it comes to settling down for a standard for DVDs. Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo are favoring a next-generation DVD standard called HD (high-definition) DVD while Sony and other
241915
There's high-definition and then there's high-definition Review There's HD and then there's full HD. While both will give you better pictures than normal TV, the latter offers a degree of future proofing by enabling you to take advantage of 1080p, the highest HD resolution currently in use. With both Blu-ray and HD DVD supporting it, you'll need a Full HD TV such as Sharp's LC37XD1E to experience the best high definition currently has to offer.â¦
377553
While HD DVD may be trumpeting the success of Transformers, the format is still struggling to take the lead back from rival Blu-ray. Sony's format has seen sales of 2.6 million discs from January 1 to September 30, compared with 1.4 million discs sold on HD DVD.
631363
The words high-definition TV are enough to give many consumers the sweats. We&#39;ll help you relax and buy smarter. Flat or fat? EDTV or HDTV?
37756
The high-definition DVD format war  has not been won, at least not in the minds of the retailers.  Last week, Time Warner Inc's  Warner Bros studio said it  would exclusively release high-definition DVDs in Blu-ray  format instead of Toshiba Corp's  competing HD DVD  technology.
691416
Can the movie studios kill the most promising new DVD format?
360708
Just because one media-storage format suffers a merciless death, it doesn't mean the media itself still can't be enjoyed in some other form. Follow Wired's How-To Wiki guide to rip, convert and burn your now-obsolote HD DVDs to the Blu-ray format.
120577
Integrated video engine to offer DVD quality on a handheld
429731
Bringing next-gen DVD goodness into the Europe's living rooms Review While other manufacturers flap about trying to decide what format to back in the HD DVD/Blu-ray Disc war, Toshiba has been solidly behind HD DVD since the start. The HD-E1 is the first consumer-oriented standalone HD DVD player available in Europe, so you can now feed your HD telly something decent.â¦
438063
TOKYO -- You may not remember the battle between VHS and beta or between cassette tapes and CD&#39;s but in years to come, you&#39;ll likely be able to recall a battle over the format for the next generation of DVDs.
107704
Company is the latest to pick a side in the battle of high-definition disc formats.
412002
By Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.  Sep. 11--WHAT ARE BLU-RAY AND HD DVD?: They pine to succeed the common  DVD. The new technologies are meant for high-definition flat-screen  televisions.
236390
Natural beauty is a high-tech hit. The hottest thing going in high-definition DVDs is a high-dollar collection of nature documentaries - from England. Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series, from BBC Video, has become the biggest moneymaker yet to hit Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, the rival formats that Hollywood hopes will one day replace ordinary DVDs.