The Definition of High Definition
Yeah, I’ve decided to make the dive into high definition movies. For the past couple of years, I’ve watched the format war unfold. I’ve watched companies push HD as the new “must have” in every home. Every LCD or plasma TV you buy has the HDTV logo on it. Some even have spiffy 1080p stickers on them. I’ve tried to ignore most of this media frenzy, while keeping educated about the different technologies, supporting companies, and price trends. While I’m not here to tell you whether Blu-ray or HD-DVD is the best format, I’m merely relaying some thoughts, and my approach.
Being the geek that I am, all I have to do is read the technical specifications of each disc format, and conclude that Blu-ray is clearly the superior of the formats. The simplest form of this comparison is mere the fact that a Blu-ray disc holds 50GB of data in two layers while an HD-DVD disc holds 30GB. To put this in practical numbers, most computer laptops are coming with 60-100 GB hard drives. In 1997, a 9GB hard drive was considered large. A standard DVD holds 8.5GB in two layers.
Logically speaking, the ability for Blu-ray discs to hold more data should translate to higher video bitrates (less compression), more and higher quality audio tracks, and more special features.
So why wouldn’t one just choose Blu-ray? Studio support. Different motion picture companies are backing different formats. This means, by choosing one format, you won’t get to see every movie you want in pristine quality. Until now, choosing both was simply expensive… or may still be expensive depending on your solution needs.
In preparation for Transformers to be released on HD-DVD on October 16th, I pondered a way to get an HD-DVD player without spending $800+. Then, suddenly, I had a realization - The Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on is only $150 if you shop around. It’s just a drive, right? It hooks up USB to the Xbox 360, right? Well, then… the Xbox 360 being a computer that it is, and made by Microsoft… shouldn’t there be a way to make the cheap drive work on a PC? After one quick Google search, I found this site, which proved that the solution works! My order was placed in a matter of minutes.
Now, what to do about those Blu-ray discs? I thought about just sticking with HD-DVD, but realized quickly that there are a lot of movies on Blu-ray only that I would want in HD. After some Google searching, I discovered that Pioneer recently released a Blu-ray drive for PCs that plays (and doesn’t write) Blu-ray for less than $300. You see, until this drive, most Blu-ray drives could also write, but cost more than $800. So, this is a much more feasible solution for me. I’ve decided to get this drive.
You’ll also notice that my HD experience will be solely computer based. My mom bought a nice LG LCD TV not too long ago. However, my position with HD and home theater is that consumers are being misled! Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray output movies in 1080p resolution (1920×1080 @ 60fps) - 2,073,600 pixels. Guess how many pixels are in most LCDs and plasma that aren’t bigger than 50 inches - 1,044,480 pixels. That’s only about 50% of the pixels available in HD!!! Yes, this is better than 345,600 pixels with a standard DVD (720×480), and upgrading to HD will give you about 3X the picture of a DVD.. but for the prices out there on the HD market.. I don’t think consumers are getting their money’s worth yet. Many TV’s say they support 1080p resolution, when what they meant to say is that it can accept (and convert) 1080p. So, the consumer HD market really isn’t that “high definition” at all. It’s kind of “medium definition”.
As a side note, “fps” means “frames per second”. It’s how many still images are lined up and played for your eyes every second of video. DVDs use about 30 per second. Film is about 24fps. High definition material is 60fps. The result is much smoother motion, especially when the camera or action is moving really fast.
With computer monitors, full HD resolution is in closer reach. My two Dell 20″ wide LCDs each have a resolution of 1680×1050. My laptop has a 17″ wide screen with 1920×1200 resolution (which CAN display HD content natively!). So, it seems more logical to me to go with a computer solution. No, I don’t have a 50″ plasma in my room for HD viewing, but I can see much more detail with my 20″ LCDs anyway. Make sense?
So, hopefully, you’ve learned a little bit about HD with this post… and you’ve also learned why I’ve waited until now to go HD.. I’m not saying you should to, but know what you’re buying before you buy!