Blu-ray wins the format war, but HD DVD players won’t disappear immediately.

Until recently, two incompatible high-definition disc formats --Blu-ray and HD DVD--vied for dominance in the emerging field of high-def DVDs. The schism has vexed consumers who want to replace their standard-def DVD player with an HD upgrade, especially as different movie studios signed exclusive deals to support one format or the other.

But in February 2008, Toshiba, the primary force behind HD DVD players, announced that it would stop making standalone HD DVD players and would be completely out of the business by the end of March. That effectively makes Blu-ray the high-def disc successor to the 11-year-old DVD format.

Blu-ray is now the obvious choice if you’re in the market for a high-def DVD player. Prices could drop as manufacturers battle for market share within the Blu-ray category.

Toshiba HD DVD players, and the movies designed to play on them, will be available until current inventories run out, and you might be able to buy them at closeout prices. Like Blu-ray players, these models will upconvert standard DVDs to pseudo-HD, and you can get true high def from any HD DVD movies you already own or buy soon.

What's available

Blu-ray enjoys broad hardware support from major consumer electronics and computer companies including Dell, Denon, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, and Sony, among others. In addition, you can play Blu-ray discs on Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles (two versions, priced at $500 and $600), which have an integrated drive. A growing number of notebook and desktop computers either come with, or can accept, Blu-ray or HD DVD drives. It’s still not clear whether HD DVD will live on as a computer format; Toshiba has said it will monitor demand for HD DVD drives and recorders in the PC market.

Currently, there are three different standalone HD DVD players from Toshiba, plus players from Onkyo and Venturer, which we assume will be phased out shortly. Microsoft sells an add-on HD DVD drive for its Xbox videogame console. There are also hybrid players from LG and Samsung that support both Blu-ray and HD DVD; it’s not yet clear what will happen to those models, which sell for about $800.

All the Blu-ray, and most of the HD DVD, players we've tested so far can output video signals with a maximum resolution of 1080p. Exceptions include the lower-priced Toshiba models—the A2 and A3—and Venturer’s SHD7000 player.

All high-def models will play standard DVDs, and will upconvert the video to quasi-HD resolutions by scaling the pixel count of the DVD's video to match the HDTV's native resolution. The picture quality will depend on the quality of the scaler, but even at its best, it won't be the same as video that originated in high-definition.

Like regular DVD players, most of the Blu-ray players we’ve tested—from companies including the Dell, Panasonic, and Samsung—will play audio CDs, as will all the HD DVD players. But some tested Blu-ray players, including models from Sony and Pioneer, as well as LG's hybrid player, do not play audio CDs. All current high-def DVD players are single-disc players. There are no changers available, and there aren't yet any portable high-def DVD players. Nor are there any standalone Blu-ray or HD DVD recorders, though we could see the first later this year. There are a handful of expensive notebook computers with Blu-ray and HD DVD recordable drives.

Current Blu-ray players start at about $300, and the most expensive models, geared toward audio- and videophiles, can cost $1,000 or more. But now that the format war is over, the companies in the Blu-ray camp may begin to battle for market share, which could cause prices to drop. HD DVD prices have dropped dramatically, and we expect to see them soon at closeout prices. Event before Toshiba’s announcement, some models were available for less than $100.

Important features

All high-definition DVD players have most or all of the features you get on a regular DVD player, enabling you to pause, fast-forward, rewind, and search the discs. In addition, all the units have a front-panel display that provides information about the player's operations. Timers let you know how much time has elapsed and how much time is remaining on the disc, and an onscreen set-up menu will typically allow you to adjust various settings. For example, you could adjust the picture (such as selecting a widescreen 16:9 or standard 4:3 image to match your TV screen) and sound (stereo or multichannel surround sound), and choose a language preference.

Most high-definition DVD players also have a screen-saver feature, a moving image that plays when the machine is turned on but isn't being used, that can help to prevent stationary images from being burned into your HDTV screen. Several models offer additional features, such as built-in memory-card slots for displaying digital photos and playing music, or ports that allow them to be connected to a PC for distributing picture, video, or music content stored on your computer, on a TV, or on a sound system as appropriate.

In addition to the HDMI and component-video connections needed to receive high-def pictures on an HDTV, many players also include S-video and/or composite-video outputs. All we've seen have an optical digital audio output, and most will also include 5.1-channel analog audio outputs for connecting the player to a Dolby Digital or DTS surround-sound receiver with analog audio inputs.

How to choose

With Blu-ray the de facto HD format, HD DVD is no longer a viable long-term option for anyone who wants to move to high-def DVD. There are already more Blu-ray movies available, and Universal—the only studio to exclusively support HD DVD from the beginning—has announced they’ll be supporting Blu-ray in the future. We expect Paramount/DreamWorks Animation to follow suit.

Wait just a bit longer. While the format battle is over, the full impact won’t be felt immediately. As a result, we suggest waiting a bit longer to see whether promotional activity causes prices for Blu-ray players to drop. Also, some of the earlier Blu-ray players, which are still available, lack features such as picture-in-picture and Internet connectivity. Newer players called Profile 2.0 models that will hit the market later this year will include these new features.

Don't settle for less than excellent HD picture quality. You shouldn't have to compromise on HD quality. The models we've tested have all been capable of producing excellent HD picture quality. All will convert standard DVDs to pseudo HD (HD resolution, but not with HD picture quality). But be aware that on the models tested to date, you will need to use an HDMI connection to carry upconverted 720p, 1080i, and if available, 1080p signals from the player to the HDTV.

Check out Toshiba HD DVD players as an alternative to a standard player. Buyers still in the market for a standard-def DVD player might want to consider an HD DVD player if you can find one priced comparably to, or cheaper than, a standard-def player. An HD DVD player will still upconvert standard DVDs, and you might be able to take advantage of bargain-basement sales as stores try to unload their HD DVD movies.

Consider which, if any, special playback formats matter. All high-def DVD players can play pre-recorded DVDs. Some, but not all, Blu-ray players will play commercially released CDs, plus CDs burned with MP3 files. So far, all Toshiba HD DVD players will play standard audio CDs, but not CDs burned with MP3 files. LG's BH100 hybrid player can play Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, but has only a basic movie menu for HD DVD playback, and doesn't support the format's more advanced interactive features or Internet connection option. However, the successor BH200 model fully supports all of HD DVD’s features, for what it’s now worth.

Make sure a player has the connections you want. All high-def DVD players have HDMI and component-video connections, which are required to view high-definition pictures on an HDTV. All have composite-video connectors, and all except the LG have an S-video connection. Some of newest players have the latest versions of HDMI, referred to as HDMI 1.3. That has twice the bandwidth of the earlier version (1.2), and can therefore support some new audio and video technologies theoretically capable of producing better pictures and sound.

But not all manufacturers will implement all the new HDMI 1.3 features, so you'll have to check packaging or product brochures to make sure the player supports specific features, such as Deep Color (a jump from millions to billions of colors), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the new higher-quality "lossless" audio formats, and a lip sync, which automatically synchronizes audio to match on-screen actions. That won't be easy, though. Some manufacturers could give those new technologies proprietary names, making it harder to choose among models.

While most players can output 1080p signals from a high-def disc, they will transmit it only via the HDMI input. None allows the component outputs to provide video resolutions above 1080i. In addition, movie studios reserve the right to "down-convert" HD signals sent through the component-video connections (which lack copy protection), although so far none has activated that feature. None of the tested models will allow viewing of up-converted regular DVDs unless an HDMI connection is used. And if you want to use digital-audio connections from the DVD player to a receiver, make sure the DVD player's digital-audio outputs are the same type as those on your receiver--optical, coaxial, or HDMI.

Check on surround-sound capability. When used with high-def discs, most models will support at least 5.1-channel sound through the digital and analog audio outputs (for exceptions, see Recommendations and Notes). The Panasonic can provide up to 7.1 analog channels with Blu-ray discs but offers only 5.1-channel sound when used with regular DVDs. The Philips and Samsung can provide 5.1-channel analog sound from Blu-ray discs but only stereo sound from regular DVDs. While the low-cost Toshiba model provides multichannel digital audio, its analog audio output is stereo only.