When it comes to distinguishing these two formats, there's a strong tendency for technophiles to look at the maximum storage per disc layer (15 GB for HD-DVD and 25 GB for Blu-ray) and summarily grant the advantage to Blu-ray. But the reality of the two technologies also turns up a factor to which this buyer's guide and the Blu-ray companion guide will attest - namely, that HD-DVD players and pre-recorded media are substantially cheaper than their Blu-ray counterparts. This is due to technical details related to the thickness of the transparent surface layer that covers and shields the metallic layer (or layers) on which the pits in data tracks (or their absence) represents binary data used to encode audio and video data.

We're not going into deep technical data on the aperture size of the laser beam used and the diffusion effects and accuracy with which data can be read through the cover layer on the media - summarized as track pitch, where Blu-ray goes smaller than HD-DVD. Let's just say that Blu-ray uses a thinner surface layer and a tighter track pitch, which permits smaller pits to be written and then read on its media. On the other hand, HD-DVD uses a thicker surface layer and wider track pitch, resulting in technology that's sufficiently similar to DVD that it permits normal DVD production lines to handle HD-DVD media without major retooling or replacement - the same is not true for Blu-ray.

The net result is that you can find HD-DVD players in prices that range from the Xbox 360's relatively cheap HD-DVD player at the low end to under £800 / €1,000 at the high end, and movies cost from £15 / €20 to the usual £30 / €40 for HD-DVD. With Blu-ray, player prices start at around £200 / €300 and run to £1,300 / €1,500 or more at the high end, and movies run at about the same money. You can also purchase hybrid DVDs that combine conventional and HD-DVD formats on a single disc, which some might consider an advantage, but others an unnecessary expense.

As you'll see in the Blu-ray buyer's guide, however, an emerging set of hybrid players is also finding its way to the market. On the plus side, these make the HD-DVD versus Blu-ray format battle moot; on the negative side, these players cost even more than Blu-ray devices. And so far, we've heard nothing about internal or external hybrid players for PCs, only standalone hybrid players as audio-video component devices.

Take The Plunge: Then What?

If you choose one side or the other where HD-DVD and Blu-ray are concerned, the worst thing that can happen is that the format you select loses out in the contest for market dominance and the other one wins. This might mean that you would not only have to replace the equipment you purchased to play the losing format - no small expense in itself - but it also might mean replacing the movies you purchased in that format as well. This is a potentially huge issue for those who invest in a large library of titles and content. Our advice, therefore, is not to commit yourself too far in either direction until the marketplace dynamics play out, unless you're totally gung-ho on high definition video and really can't wait.

Also realize that none of this matters much unless you've got a high resolution display or HDTV that can handle 1920x1080 resolution, along with the HDMI (1.3 or higher) interfaces that really let high-definition video shine its brightest at the highest possible level of detail. Unless you're ready to plunk down the money for a 1080p capable HDTV (or equivalent high-end monitor or display) and upgrade your AV receiver to HDMI, equipped with the required codecs and capabilities, this whole situation becomes much less vexing anyway. You can still jump on one bandwagon or the other to be sure, but you really won't be getting the full benefit from these new technologies without high-definition display resolutions, interfaces, and codecs to match. In that case, it may prove interesting to acquire a low-budget HD-DVD player and some HD-DVD movies or other content, and make what you can of the improved resolution that an older HDTV and a no-longer-state of the art receiver can deliver. (See our sidebar "HDMI, HDCP, plus Potential Gotchas and Temporary Workarounds" for issues that may loom ahead, but not too soon, fortunately).

With all of this information in mind, you can now dig into our buyer's guide entries, which we present in two sections: Standalone Players (summarized in Table 1) and PC Players (summarized in Table 2). A word of warning is necessary for Table 2, which contains several items that are currently available only to OEM buyers. (We haven't been able to find any grey market sources for these yet, but experience teaches us that these will indeed show up as these technologies become more widespread and more units get into circulation.)

Table 1: Standalone HD-DVD Players

Table 2: PC HD-DVD Players/burners