Possible Stupid Q re: DVDs and HDTV

[White16valver]

Ok, pardon my possibly denseness, but I was wondering...

Are 'normal' dvd's able to play on HDTV at HD quality? (i.e. not "normal but expanded" where it fills in between the lines)
Are they already written to HD standards? (1080 lines x whatever, as compared to the normal resolution)

Or do you need specific HD DVDs to utilise HDTV properly?

If you buy HD DVDs, will they play on 'normal' dvd players and will they be visible properly on 'normal' TVs?


Apologies for all the questions...

Thanks in advance!

 

[McBunny]

right dvd will almost always be standard definition
you can get upscalling dvd players that basically make up the extra info that goes inbetween the propper lines of image some are fairly good. they can connect by hdmi, dvi, or component.

dvd's are either 486 lines ntsc or 576 lines pal

to really get the best from a hd tv you need a hd dvd player (blu ray when they come out too)
they require special media with special transfer of the original film stock (some will just be resampled dvd's tho)

some hd dvd's will have a standard definition versiuon on the other side tho

hd dvd's will not play in a standard dvd player unless its one of the special dual format disc's and even then you will only get a standard definition version of the film.
hd dvd player will have a hard time playing on a standard tv over here as almost non of our crt tv's can do hd resolutions

does that help ?

 

[White16valver]

Cool, cheers

I was just wondering whether it was worth splashing out £20 on the 10CD matrix box set in HMV or not - the plan was to buy an HD version so that many years from now, when I actually manage to get an HD TV, it would work properly and, no doubt, look amazing.

As it is, I might as well spend the £20 on the 'normal' version as I'll still enjoy it now and I'll just buy again when I get an HDTV. It will be many years from now anyway, so Matrix stuff will probably be in the bargain bucket by then LoL

 

[McBunny]

there isnt a hd version at the moment only thing on hd dvd as of last week was phantom of the opera, last samurai and servenity iirc

 

[The Hoff]

HD-DVD will win the format battle, Blu-Ray has already been dropped by a couple of film studio's due to the production and process costs. The only thing i can see thats likely to bolster Blu-ray sales is the PS3. But by then HD-DVD will have had a 6 month head start on Blu-ray.

Theres also the fact that HD-DVD players will be a LOT cheaper than Blu-ray players, most by as much as 1/2 the price. Its like VHS vs. Betamax, blu-ray might have the overall better functionality, but its too hard to produce, its too expensive and it's going to be released to late.

As for the questions, all HDTVs have upscaling capabilities and will display full screen via interlacing the image. Also all current DVD's will be backwards compatible so you can play all your existing movies on HD-DVD players. However the resolution is limited by the format, there just isn't enough room on a DVD to allow for HD video of a feature film length.

My advice would be that unless your TV has just blown up then wait for 6 months until HDTV is a reality, as currently SKY+ HD is a waste of money. In 2007 HDTV will be cheaper, Sky+ boxes will be free and if theres a format war going to take place, well that only serves to aid the consumer with cheaper pricing.

HDTV + HD-DVD + HDMI = sex wee.

 

[TheCake]

Thanks Oz. I kind of understand too now. I can do computers but I can't do all this HD, HD Ready HDTV mumbo jumbo. lol.

 

[dk]

i think blu ray will win, its bigger, better and currently has more support from the right companies, i reckon most of us will buy dual format machines though to kill two birds with one stone or will have a PS3 for Bluray and a HD-DVD player etc.

 

[The Hoff]

Actually the tide has shifted negatively for BR over the last 2 months, a lot of companies who were formerly only going to produce BR discs are now stating that they too will make HD-DVD discs, as they're cheaper to make, cheaper to sell, and will be the driving force behind the consumer market.

People don't care if a disc can hold 30gb or 50gb...what they care about is price vs. performance. If a BR disc is going to cost £15 and a HD-DVD disc costs £10 then you can guess which disc Joe public will buy given the players themselves are 1/2 the price too. If the picture quality is the same, the sound quality is the same, and the price is vastly different in hardware and consumables, then really what does BR have going for it? Nothing...