HD-DVD vs.BlueRay
Un ottimo articolo by techspot.com
DVDs are the current standard for data storage, and perhaps more importantly the publishing format standard as well. The question is however, how much longer will they be sufficient? A much anticipated battle, or ‘format war’ if you will, is in progress similar to that seen in the 1980’s between VHS and Betamax. This time around the same companies have fallen into the same camps and war is ensuing between Blu-ray and HD DVD technology.
Knowing very little about either, I decided to investigate these formats and what follows is hopefully an unbiased presentation of facts. At this time it is hard to say if there is a leader in this format race, or if there will ever be one, with products still not available in the retail market, and from what was shown at recent CES 2006 expo, manufacturers are still working hard on first generation players, which will inevitably be replaced just a few months later with more refined products once they reach the masses. Hopefully after reading this article you will be better informed about the two technologies, and why not, pick your own favorite, or call the industry for a much needed convergence (think of dual-format DVD±RW drives nowadays).
Blu-ray Disc (BD) is one of the next-generation optical disc formats currently being proposed. It is designed for high-definition video and high-density data storage. The technology was developed by a group of companies working under the name Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). The main supporter of this technology is Sony. As you can tell by now, the main competitor to Blu-ray technology is HD DVD, which is backed chiefly by Toshiba.
HD DVD has been recognized as the only format of approved next-generation technology by the DVD Forum, which is a group of 230 companies who develop and define DVD formats. Members of this forum include every big name in music, movies and the computer industries, while Toshiba is the organization maintaining the forum. The vote to name HD DVD as the successor of DVD technology was 8 to 6, and many of the companies within the forum are backing Blu-ray technology.
Blu-ray Technology
Blu-ray technology is currently available only in Japan for recording HDTV. The US launch is said to take place in early 2006, with other countries to follow.
There are three types of Blu-ray formats planned:
BD-ROM for pre-recorded media such as software, games and movies
BD-R (recordable) for HDTV recording and PC data storage
BD-RE (rewritable) for HDTV recording and PC data storage
As with all new technology it will initially be more expensive to run.
Capacities
Blu-ray supports more data capacity per layer compared to HD DVDs. That is 25GB per layer versus 15GB of HD DVD. Technically it can fit three different capacities; 25GB is merely the average, these capacities are 23.3GB, 25GB or 27GB. This equates to over 4 hours of high definition video with audio.
There is also the option of dual-layers: 46.6GB, 50GB or 54GB, which is roughly 8 hours. Currently BDA are researching 100GB and 200GB technology with 4 or 8 layers, this keeps the technology ‘future proof’. Also in the works is an 8cm disc variation with a 15GB capacity, rather than the regular 12cm discs.
The Name
The Blu-ray name comes from the technology itself; it uses “blue” laser technology (technically it is a blue/violet color), rather than the red laser used for normal DVDs. The Blue laser uses a shorter wavelength then the red laser; 405nm as compared to 650nm. CDs use a 780nm wavelength.
The smaller wavelength allows more data to be stored in the same amount of space. This is due to the smaller ‘spot size’ that is achievable by using the blue laser. The focus of a laser is limited by the amount of diffraction. Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves, light waves in this case, when it meets an obstruction.
In the case of laser technology however, that light will naturally begin to spread the further it gets from the laser itself (you can see an example of this simply with a torch shining against a wall, the further away from the wall, the more the light spreads.) This is where other factors must be introduced to help focus the laser. Those used in BD technology include an increased numerical aperture than ones used previously (0.85 as compared to 0.6 used for DVDs), a higher quality dual-lens system, and using a thinner cover layer on the disc to reduce optical effects.
Blu-ray Technology (continued)
The Disc
The disc itself is coated in a hard protective layer made of a clear polymer, providing the discs with superb scratch resistance. The user can even clean their BD discs with a tissue without a second thought. This protective layer technology came into use due to the fact that the original Blu-ray discs were extremely susceptible to damage unless in a caddy. This caddy was a deterrent in that it was not as appealing to manufacturers and distributors due to the extra cost, nor as familiar to users as the HD DVDs.
The BD-ROM discs support MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC High Profile and VC-1 video codecs, which allows Blu-ray discs store up to four hours of video per layer. For audio it supports PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS-HD and Dolby Lossless formats. MPEG-2 TS has been incorporated to allow direct recording from HDTV broadcasts without picture quality loss as well. The ability of optical discs to randomly access means that it is possible to playback video whilst simultaneously recording.
BD-RE and BD-R will be backwards compatible to MPEG-2. New codecs will be introduced and supported as they evolve over time. The technology will also include Java cross platform software for interactive menus on the discs, as compared to the pre-rendered segments used on current DVDs. This may also incorporate network connectivity enabling updates via the internet of the Blu-ray technology. This would mean that you could add new content such as subtitles in different languages as needed. The Java version of the disc will be called BD-J.
Security
Regional codes for the BDs will be different to DVDs; there are only going to be three regions. 1= US, Canada, Mexico, South America, Japan & East Asia (excluding China) 2= Europe & Africa 3= China, Russia, and all other countries.
BD+ is a technology that allows dynamically changing encryption security. It is the method in which the data on the BD is encoded to prevent copying of the media. By constantly changing, it means that cracking one BD does not result in having all discs being cracked, as was the case with DVDs using CSS technology and the release of DeCSS in 1999 which allowed all DVDs to be cracked.
Digital watermarking has also been incorporated into BDs. Digital watermarking is a way of including a hidden copyright notice within the media, thus preventing duplication or reproduction without authorization. AACS is also to be included and is a product of AACS LA. This type of protection will also be used on HD DVDs, but is not receiving good press, so is not the primary source of protection for BDs.
BDs will also finally incorporate HDCP, High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. This is a licensed technology that allows only licensed players to display the media at full resolution. Any players that do not have HDCP will either display a smaller sample or nothing at all. A HDMI interface can be used as it does include HDCP encryption.
Applications
The baseline data transfer rate of the Blu-ray technology is currently 36Mbps. 2x speed prototypes are in development with the intention of going up to 8x in the future. The numerical aperture used, 0.85, allows higher speeds. It also means that BDs require less recording power and lower disc rotation speeds to achieve the same data transfer rates as DVDs and HD DVDs.
Many manufacturers are starting to produce Blu-ray products. They are incorporating them into stand-alone recorders, game consoles, laptops, and PCs. BDA is recommending that manufacturers produce BD drives that are capable of reading DVDs. As such, optical heads have been created that can read CDs, DVDs and BDs. Panasonic released the first drive to support this, the SW-5582, and Pioneer has announced their drive will be released during the first quarter this year. The PlayStation 3 will also incorporate a Blu-ray drive.
HD DVD Technology
HD DVD players are set to be released this coming March with models from Toshiba priced in the $500-800 range. Reportedly studios will also be releasing almost 200 movies to the market by the end of this year based on the new format. The catch is however these movies will not exclusively be produced for the HD DVD format, and are also going to be released for the Blu-ray format.
There are three types of HD DVD formats planned:
HD DVD-ROM for pre-recorded media such as software, games and movies
HD DVD-R (recordable) for HDTV recording and PC data storage
HD DVD-Rewritable (recordable) for HDTV recording and PC data storage
The big advantage of HD DVD technology is that it will not cost much money to adapt manufacturing methods from current DVD procedures for these discs, as will be necessary for Blu-ray manufacturing. This should keep the cost of HD DVDs down for consumers as compared to BDs.
Capacities
HD DVD discs will have a standard 15GB capacity on a single layer, which is noticeably smaller than Blu-ray Discs, while dual-layer HD DVD discs will be available with a 30GB capacity. Dual and triple layer discs allowing larger capacities for read and write functionalities are currently in development.
The Name
HD DVD stands for High-Definition DVD. The initials of DVD originally stood for Digital Video Disc, but the DVD Forum argued that they should actually stand for Digital Versatile Disc, as can be used for many different applications, thus more accurately describing its purpose. As this dispute was never settled, DVD officially now stands for nothing. As the DVD Forum only recognizes and supports HD DVD, they state that HD DVD stands for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc.
HD DVD Technology (continued)
The Disc
HD DVDs use the same blue laser technology as Blu-ray Discs. This is why HD DVDs provide more memory capacity than DVDs despite of its other similarities.
The difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD is the size of the aperture used on the optical pick-up head inside drives and players. Blu-ray uses a 0.85 aperture whereas HD DVDs only use a 0.65 aperture. Finally compare that to current DVDs’ 0.6 aperture. The reason these are different is because of the surface layer of the actual discs. Their thickness limits the effectiveness of the laser due to optical effects.
HD DVDs have a thickness of 0.6mm, the same as current DVDs, which is why the aperture is only marginally larger, thus limiting the discs capacity. BDs have a surface that is only 0.1mm thick, which reduces optical illusions, and enables the larger aperture to be used.
Security
HD DVD-ROMs will include protection which is expected to be produced by AACS LA. This technology, called AACS, will also be included on BDs. AACS is backed by companies supporting both Blu-ray and HD DVD technologies. AACS uses similar security measures as CSS, which failed in the past, thus raising concerns regarding its effectiveness. The technology was in fact voted most likely to fail by IEEE, the largest organization in the world for ‘the advancement of technology related to electricity’.
The difference between CSS and AACS is that instead of having group decryption keys that were allocated to a particular player model, every player will have an individual ‘key’ used in a broadcast encryption scheme. This allows licensors to identify individuals who have leaked their keys. They can then disable a particular player’s functionality with future media as well as carry out legal action against a specific individual.
HD DVDs will also incorporate digital watermarking to protect their products. Watermarking is a process of hiding a copyright notice within digital media that will prevent duplication or reproduction of media without authorization.
Applications
HD DVDs will include the same compression formats as BDs; MPEG-4 AVC, VC-1, and MPEG-2. MPEG-2 TS has been used to allow direct recording from HDTV broadcasts without picture quality loss. The current data transfer rate is 36.55Mbps. It will of course be backwards compatible with DVD and CD technology, this is where its appeal lies, however that does not mean Blu-ray technology is not backwards compatible.
The first lot of HD DVD players is expected to arrive in March 2006. Microsoft did not include a HD DVD player in their Xbox 360, but is said to be releasing an external add-on drive late in 2006. There are also many movie studios who will be releasing movies on both HD DVD and BD formats by the end of this year.
Final Thoughts
Overall both technologies are founded on good ideas, and they are both aiming to deliver feasible HDTV recording options, larger memory capacities with increased performance, as well as a more secure media format. So let’s say both technologies are successful in their goals, but for the end consumer there is a dilemma: which technology will survive, if they cannot co-exist?
There are many arguments floating back and forth, so many vicious rumors that if you were to wade through the quagmire you will surely be stuck for a very long time. In fact, with all the slandering going on, it is very difficult to ascertain fact from fiction. The information provided in this article was taken directly from the appropriate promotional websites current at the date of publishing this article, with some definition help from Wikipedia. There are many more facts and figures that are being spread around but could not be confirmed, and as such have not been included.
So, as I see it the advantage of Blu-ray technology is its superior memory capacity, and higher performing laser technology, as well as the innovative new protective polymer surface layer. It has been said that because of this new surface layer the discs will be thinner, 0.1mm as compared to 0.6mm, thus allowing more layers to be incorporated if it is to be the same thickness of a HD DVD disc.
Both technologies are backwards compatible and provide ample security measures. However the major advantage of HD DVD technology is that it will cost next to nothing for manufacturers to adapt their production lines, thus potentially keeping costs down for the consumer. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the manufacturing of Blu-ray Discs at this time.
Well, side as you will, here are the definite facts in this battle so far. Hopefully you will now understand a little behind both technologies and can form a more educated opinion in any of the frequent debates being carried out on many sites. And while this format war continues to take shape, the big losers will be consumers, as one technology may surpass the other, and those who have invested in the wrong one will have to pay for it, unless drives supporting both are made available some time in the future, of course.
As for me, I think I’ll just stick to hard drives and flash memory for now.
Altra review:
Review of the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player
Our very own John J. Puccio takes a look at the very first HD-DVD player from Toshiba. Learn all the details about the format and if the player is worth it's $500 price tag. UPDATED: Now with more photos and more information.
The Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player.
The Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player.
By John J. Puccio
Don’t you just love new technology?
The Toshiba HD-A1 and XA1 players are the first in a new wave of next-generation DVD machines capable of reproducing high-definition signals of 1080x1920 scan lines. That’s quite a step up from the 480 lines produced from standard-definition DVDs, and it means a whole lot more pixels reaching your screen, over four times as many overall. Which means a far better, more detailed picture, no matter what size screen you’re watching. Sure, putting more than four times the total pixels on screen makes a huge difference when using a big-screen TV, but even on my 34” Sony XBR960 high-definition widescreen television, the differences are more than eye-opening.
Overview:
But before I talk about the new Toshiba hardware, a word about what else you will need to enjoy this new technology in your home.
First, you’ll have to decide which high-definition format you want to use, because as most people know by now, there are two competing formats, HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Shades of Beta vs. VHS, right? Well, yes, but it gets worse. Toshiba and Sony are the two primary backers of the opposing camps. Both playback systems are capable of reproducing 1080 lines, and theoretically they should produce the same picture quality, but they use different technologies to do it and are, therefore, incompatible with one another. In other words, you have to use different playback hardware with them. There was hope at one time that the two companies would compromise on a single, unified format, but it didn’t happen. So, you choose your format, hoping that your favorite movies will be available in the HD format you select or hoping for more player manufacturers to produce machines that will play back both formats. Unlike Beta vs. VHS, many of the major studios have not chosen to issue their films in both formats; not yet, anyhow. I suspect that those studios that have announced that they will release product in both formats, like Warner Bros., will have an edge on the competition.
Each format has its benefits. The advantage of the HD-DVD system is mainly a cheaper manufacturing cost for players and discs; first-generation HD-DVD players are announced in the $499-$799 range, while the first Blu-ray players are announced in the $1,000 range and up. The advantage of the Blu-ray system is a bigger storage capacity, not for an improved picture necessarily, but for more extras. There is also talk that Blu-ray may have the ability starting with first-generation players to output a 1080p signal as opposed to 1080i (more later in the review), but that remains to be seen.
Having chosen your format, you’ll next have to be sure you have an HD compatible TV. Sorry, your old, standard-definition television is not going to work. This isn’t like the old days when you could plug in your Beta, VHS, or DVD player right to your standard-definition TV. For high definition, you will need a high-definition set. Ideally, the set should be able to reproduce the full 1080 horizontal lines, but that means a unit capable of 1080x1920 lines, and a lot of high-definition LCD and plasma sets will not reproduce more than 720 lines. All is not lost, however. By definition, HD starts at 720 horizontal lines, and most 720-only sets easily and automatically down-convert the 1080 signal to 720 across the screen. If you’re receiving high-definition television broadcasts right now over your cable or dish system, and you have a TV capable of only 720 lines, the set is already down-converting many high-def signals, and you probably don’t even notice it.
So, is this all, just a new player and possibly a new TV? Not quite, because there is one more snag. Both the HD-DVD and the Blu-ray group have agreed that studios have the option to copy protect their discs. Thus, built into every HD-DVD or Blu-ray player is a flagging device. If a studio decides to go with copy protection, the disc can only be played back at maximum (1080) resolution through a digital HDMI connection. (Note: Late DVI inputs should work with adapters, but early DVI inputs are iffy). If a television does not have a digital HDMI input (only analogue component inputs), and if a disc is copy protected, the player will down-convert the signal to 540x960 pixels when played through the component connections. The HD groups seem to think this is fine because 540x960 is better than standard definition. But it is quite a lot less definition than the disc is able to deliver. Both groups agreed, however, that studios must clearly mark on the packaging if discs are copy protected, and if they are not, they will pass the full 1080 signal resolution through the analogue component outputs.
Then there is that difference between interlaced and progress-scan playback. To quote from my colleague Eddie Feng’s glossary of video terms: “Interlace scan--Decoding every other line of a picture from the top to the bottom of a TV and then going top to bottom again for the remaining lines. Denoted with a small “i” (as in “480i” for 480 interlaced horizontal lines). Progressive scan--Decoding the entire image area in one pass. Denoted with a small “p” (as in “720p” for “720” progressive horizontal lines).” Progressive-scan images are smoother, especially for fast-motion video, but the first generation of Toshiba HD-DVD players, at least, will only output an interlaced signal. This should not be a drawback in the first years of high definition, certainly, since only a relative handful of people worldwide own TVs capable of 1080p reproduction; but as the years wear on and the costs comes down, 1080p may become more popular.
Among the good news in all this is that both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players are backward compatible with existing software. The Toshiba HD-DVD, for instance, using two different lasers, will play high-definition HD-DVDs as well as standard DVDs and CDs (HD-DVD, DVD, DVD-R/-RW/-RAM, CD, and CD-R/-RW). So at least you can be sure that most of the discs you already have on your shelf are safe.
Toshiba HD-A1:
Let me quote from Toshiba’s press release to give you an idea of what their HD-DVD players are capable of, besides outputting 1080x1920 lines of resolution: “Today’s DVD requires users to stop movie playback to access disc menu content. With an HD-DVD with advanced content, you’ll freely navigate the menu features, without stopping the movie. Browse through the chapter guide, change setup options and select supplemental content all while the movie plays on. With HD-DVD’s disc menu capabilities, the fun can continue as you interact with disc content. HD-DVD’s ability to superimpose motion video over the main program adds new options for supplemental content and other extra features. With HD-DVD, director’s and actor’s commentary can be motion video superimposed on the movie--allowing them to literally point to the material they are discussing. Or, the feature can be used to present an actor’s biography or other supplemental informtion, all while the movie continues to play. And you’ll be able to turn these features on and off without stopping playback. Of course, the availability of these features will depend on what studios choose to include in their HD-DVD releases. While some HD-DVDs may use menus and extras that are similar to today’s DVDs, our players will support the advanced features described from day one.”
Furthermore, quoting from Toshiba’s notes on the player: “...the standard-definition DVD picture resolution can be up-converted via the HDMI interface to near-HD quality, with output resolution of 720p or 1080i to match your HDTV’s performance. Because the conversion takes place in the player, the signal remains free from excessive digital-to-analog conversion artifacts.” In terms of sound, the players use “four 32-bit floating-point DSPs to decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD (2 ch), DTS, and DTS-HD, offering improved fidelity and sonic realism to DVD soundtracks. The DSPs are world renowned for their high accuracy and are used in many high-quality audio solutions in the home theater market.”
In terms of appearance, features, outputs, and such, the A1 has a full complement of expected elements. On the front panel you’ll find a display of most pertinent items, like track times, input selection, and so forth; buttons for play, stop, pause, skip, etc.; and extension ports for USB game controllers and whatever else Toshiba can think up for them. I did miss a bit-rate counter, though; or perhaps I just missed finding it amongst all the other stuff.
On the backside of the machine, you’ll find outputs for just about everything: HDMI and component video outputs; coaxial and optical digital audio outs; two-channel analogue audio outs; and 5.1-channel analogue audio outs. The back of the machine also boasts a LAN port to link your machine to a broadband Internet connection for what Toshiba says will be possible future upgrades. Then, there’s the remote control, which has more buttons on it than you can possibly imagine. More on that in a moment.
Then, there's a nice display one can pull up on the television screen while playing a disc, indicating various pieces of information like the screen resolution, the audio output, and so on. Additionally, while this information is displayed on screen, the player's own readout changes to the time remaining on the disc.
So, you get the idea of some of the bells and whistles. What are the differences in Toshiba's initial two units? Well, first there's the price difference, about $499 for the A1 vs. $799 for the XA1. If these prices seem a little steep, remember that the first DVD players in 1997 were priced between $500-$1,200. Also, keep in mind that the first Blu-ray players are announced at between $1,000-$1,800. What do you get in the higher-priced Toshiba? I've heard a heavier chassis, for one thing, but the A1 is plenty big and heavy enough. Why? Obviously, fewer jitters and lower resonances for a theoretically better picture. A lighted remote-control unit for another, which may seem small, but when you're fumbling around in the dark trying click on a particular button, a lighted remote comes in handy. Anyway, I have the A1, so what do I know.
Performance:
We come to the big question: How does the Toshiba HD-A1 perform? First, the carps, just to get them out of the way. The thing takes what seems like forever to load a disc. Upon initially turning it on, the machine has to transfer some data and check some things, like, I’m told, watermarks on an HD-DVD to see if it’s a bootleg. The Toshiba owner’s manual informs us that “the HD-DVD player operates more like a computer and differently than a standard DVD player. In addition to containing a microprocessor, it contains an operating system, random access memory (RAM), and an HD DVD drive.” So expect it to be slow. I counted about thirty seconds or more to load a disc and some lag time on clicking on certain menu items.
Next, while you’re waiting for it to load up, you can listen to its noise. Because the player works like a computer, it has a built-in ventilation fan. The fan makes noise. Live with it. I only found it annoying during the quietest passages in a movie, when I noticed its low-level hum intruding on the silence. But I have a small room and fairly acute hearing; plus, I’ve been spoiled for many years using a Sony 7700 player, which is dead silent.
After that, you'll deal with the remote. It's very slim, very streamlined, very efficient. And it looks like it was designed in 1972, all straight lines and shiny chrome and aluminum or something. I only minded a few things about it: (1) You sometimes have to click three or four times on a menu item to get it to work, even if you're pointing the remote directly at the player from a few feet away. (2) Some of the important controls, like the time and chapter search and the setup button, are located beneath a sliding drawer at the bottom of the unit. Meanwhile, there's an exposed button at the top of the remote that has no function whatsoever. Toshiba says it's "unassigned." I wonder if anybody thought to assign it the search function? (3) The remote that comes with the A1 player is hard to read; the more-expensive XA1 remote is lighted, which could make a big difference. (4) I could not get the "timing/chapter search" or "stop/resume" functions to work with WB's first HD-DVDs, although they work fine with standard-def DVDs. What's more, my colleague Dean Winkelspecht, tells me he can't get them to work with Universal's "Serenity," either. So I guess it's safe to say that these functions probably don't work with the first HD-DVDs, period.
Also, I experienced a momentary video dropout during "Phantom of the Opera." It lasted only a couple of seconds, corrected itself, and went on. As I could not repeat it, I suspect a piece of dust was the culprit. When I took the disc out and examined it, I saw no obvious flaws, no scratches or fingerprints. Maybe the Toshiba A1's error-correction mechanism is extra fussy about these things; or maybe high-definition discs, with the laser having to read smaller data pits than SD discs, are more susceptible to tiny dust and lint particles. By extension of this latter logic, Blu-ray, with data pits even smaller than HD-DVD, might be even more sensitive to dust. We'll have to wait and see.
Finally, there is an oddity about the Toshiba's audio output. The HD-DVD spec indicates Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 and/or Dolby TrueHD, not regular Dolby Digital 5.1, for playback, so that's what you will find on HD-DVDs. But the Toshiba player will only output the newer Dolby Digital-Plus signal through the digital coaxial or optical cable as something recognized by receivers as DTS. In that case, if you do not have a receiver with DTS capability, you will not receive a signal through the digital output and will have to use the Toshiba player's 5.1 analogue outs (assuming that your receiver has 5.1 analogue inputs) or the HDMI connection. Dolby Labs say that they made an internal encoder available to manufacturers that will properly convert the DD-Plus signal to DD 5.1, but that Toshiba chose not to include it in their first machines, going with a DTS encoder instead. However, Dolby Labs also say that in any case an HD player's 5.1 analogue outputs provide the cleanest, least-compressed signal, so if your receiver has 5.1 analogue inputs, the point may be moot.
These qualms aside, the picture quality is terrific. I’ve been watching high-definition cable broadcasts for years, and the first few HD-DVDs I viewed on the Toshiba looked even better. Of course, they should be better. While television broadcasts have to pass through hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles of satellite and cable feeds to get to your house, the HD-DVD signal only has to travel from your player to your TV.
Clarity is excellent, and on bigger-screen TVs it will show up even more impressively compared to standard definition. Detailing is as good, I'm sure, as a film's original print, and at least on the WB products I watched, there were no signs of added grain, pixilation, or moiré effects. I did notice, however, a difference in color saturation between the Toshiba unit through the HDMI output and my old Sony 7700 through component outs, but a few minor adjustments of the television's color, picture, and sharpness controls (see below) on the HDMI input cleared things up to my liking.
The Toshiba played everything I threw at it with equal aplomb, from HD-DVDs to standard DVDs to CDs. The up-conversion of standard-definition discs to 720p and 1080i worked well, too, and SD discs never looked or sounded so good. The menu thing may differ from studio to studio, but the WB discs I tried, with their pop-up menus during the playing of a movie, I found quite convenient.
Chapter Selection with the movie still running in the background. The Phantom of the Opera.
The Extras menu with the movie still running in the background. The Phantom of the Opera.
Color Adjustment:
Every video device connected to your television on every video input will deliver slightly different color and picture quality. The Toshiba A1 is no different. Therefore, it is important to adjust your color and picture controls for each of these inputs. On the HDMI input I used, the color from the Toshiba was much more intense than from my other devices--my SD DVD player and HD cable on separate component inputs and VHS and Beta tape machines on regular composite and S-Video inputs.
First, do not routinely accept a television's default settings. My Sony XBR960 has four different preset color settings, none of which I like on any of the device inputs. Instead, start by selecting the TV's standard setting, and then with paper and pencil jot down the default positions. Next, use a variety of software sources to make your own, modified adjustments. I use a calibration disc called "Video Essentials," plus the little THX Optimizer program that comes on THX-mastered DVDS, plus the still pictures at the end of the movie "Pleasantville." Alternatively, you can use any good DVD movie you think is transferred to disc naturally and realistically, find a section that includes a good medium or close-up shot of a human face, and pause it there.
Now, begin by turning way down or off the TV's built-in sharpness control and any other "edge-enhancement" controls you find. Then, adjust the color setting. For me, it meant turning it down quite a bit. How far? You'll find a range of settings between too intense and too pale. You can use a professional set of color guides, but I would ultimately use the judgment of my own eyes for these changes. No matter what "experts" tell you, there is no "right" or "wrong" about the color adjustment; it's purely a subjective matter, and what may look great to one person may be too bright or too dull to another. You need only look around you at real life to see what true color looks like; if you've chosen a good picture source, try to match it to what looks real to you.
Next, adjust the hue, but not by much. I found the Toshiba too warm, and I had to set the hue a couple of notches away from the red end of the spectrum. Lastly, you have contrast (sometimes called "picture") and brightness to deal with. The THX Optimizer helps here. Be sure the light in your viewing area is not too strong to begin with, and follow the steps in the calibration test. If you do not have access to the THX Optimizer, again, use your own eyes.
When all is done, be sure to mark down the new settings in pencil. Over the first few days (or weeks) you'll own the Toshiba, you'll be running back and forth making minor corrections; a pencil with a healthy eraser will come in handy. Eventually, you will get the color to your liking, and when you do, high-definition, even more so than standard-definition, will be a revelation.
Parting Thoughts:
It would be irresponsible of me right now to make a blanket recommendation for either HD-DVD or Blu-ray (or to recommend high definition in general, for that matter), given the format war going on and the hardware expense. What I can say for sure, though, is that for the most part, the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player works as advertised: It offers a superbly detailed picture; along with a two-hour-plus movie, it accommodates multiple audio tracks and bonus items on a single disc; and as of this writing, it is priced far less than the anticipated cost of its Blu-ray competition. Now, if Toshiba could take care of those few glitches I mentioned, the machine might be close to perfect.
Don’t you just love new technology?
elevato rapporto qualita'/prezzo: 
Questo funziona bene! low cost!
