Shifting References

The DVD, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, is the single best success story in the video timeline. When the format first appeared, the players were very expensive and the discs were cranky. Some of them displayed subtitles on startup, many skipped and jumped. DVDs were often hard to find -- the racks of video stores were still full of VHS cassettes. Eventually there was a small section for DVD. This grew, and now the tables have turned: The racks are full of DVDs, and in some stores you’d be hard-pressed to find a videocassette at all. The prices of players have come down to the point where now a reasonably good player, probably made in China, can be picked up for under $100. DVD has long been affordable to the masses, and they’re eating it up.

Now there are a couple of new kids on the block, the high-definition formats HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Sales of hi-def TVs have accelerated, and manufacturers believe that those who’ve purchased HDTVs will need an HD playback format for discs they can own. HD DVD and Blu-ray have bounced back and forth in popularity. I heard just today that Wal-Mart has ordered a few million cheap, Chinese-made HD DVD players. It makes sense, as the prices of both HD DVD and Blu-ray players have been getting lower by the week. It’s as if everyone wants to achieve the ten-year DVD revolution in one or two years.

Along with these shifts, the references of quality for picture and sound have changed. No one can deny that HDTV, HD DVD, and Blu-ray offer definition that can’t be achieved by standard-definition DVDs, DVD players, and TVs. Yet the predictions are that SD DVDs will be the standard for quite a while to come. This presents a dilemma to the video critic. We want to review the SD DVDs that most of our readers are watching, but we also want to be on the cutting edge and cover the HD formats as well.

What should our rating system be now? High definition must be our reference for the best possible image and sound. If we put HD at an average rating of four popcorn boxes, then a really good SD would have to be lower than that. But does that mean that regular DVDs are no good any longer? Far from it. Most of the new HD players include upsampling circuits that effectively upconvert SD DVD signals to HD resolutions so that, while still not HD, they look better than ever. What sort of new rating system can we come up with that will fairly rate all formats, and that the reader will understand?

Because it looks as if SD DVD will be around for a long time yet, we’ve opted to keep the formats separate on the Videos page. We’re starting the "Reference DVD" section up again, but this time it will be called "Reference Videos," so that we can include HD DVD and Blu-ray releases, and perhaps, once in a while, an outstanding SD DVD. The format will be noted in each listing, and the reference "value" of the disc will pertain to that format.

How long this transition will last depends on Wal-Mart, China, other formats waiting in the wings, peoples’ disposable income, and their desire to have the best picture on the block. Many readers no doubt feel that HD is the only way to go, while others, faced with replacing megabuck collections, are liable to shout that upsampled SD DVDs are good enough for them. It’s an interesting time, and we’ll try to tell you what the best discs are for experiencing each format. Stay tuned.

 ...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com

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