High definition is in and DVD and analog are on the way out. I would love to watch a high- definition movie rather than just a DVD movie. Who wouldn’t?

I like high-definition but would I rent or buy a high-definition disc? No I won’t for the simple reason that I don’t own a high definition player at home. I don’t own one because it is way too expensive and I am not sure how long I can use it if I buy a high definition player – it is likely to be obsolete any day. The war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs and players has still not ended. And it looks like it is not going to end any time soon.

The Betamax-VHS war plagued the 1980’s in videotape machines and now it is with discs. The industry now offers two incompatible systems for high-definition movie discs. Microsoft and Japan’s Toshiba have joined hands to offer HD-DVD and a group mainly backed by Sony is offering the Blu-ray system. The industry has not settled on a single standard. In the long run one will win and the other will lose. The loser will lose in a big way for sure.

In a recent study of HDTV owners it was revealed that more than one-fourth of them did not want to buy a high-definition movie player since there is no common standard. However most of them in the survey said that they would buy a combo player (that plays Blue-ray and HD-DVD discs) if available. Only LG Electronics sells such a product and Samsung is due to offer one soon and both are priced very high at $1,000. The survey concluded that consumers do not want to pay more than $200 for a player.

Here are some things you should know about the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats:

• The big Hollywood studios 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Lionsgate Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and Sony Pictures issue their movies only in Blu-ray. Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios offer their movies only in HD-DVD format. Warner Bros issues movies in both formats.

• At the moment there are more Blu-ray players in the USA than HD-DVD players, thanks to the PS3 with Sony’s decision to put a Blu-ray in their PlayStation 3.

• HD-DVD players are cheaper than Blu-ray players. HD-DVD player sells for $250 a Blu-ray can sell for around $500. HD-DVD player is an extension of the existing DVD technology and has a cost advantage.

• Recently HD-DVD got a boost since Universal Studios which was earlier releasing movies in HD DVD and Blu-ray will now release exclusively in HD-DVD format only. If you want to watch high definition hits on video like Shrek the Third, The Bourne Ultimatum or Transformers you will need a HD-DVD player. If you want to watch Spiderman 3 you will need a Blu-ray player!

It is quite possible that the high-definition market may not really take off. With the differing technologies of the players and discs a technical compromise seems quite difficult. Neither camp (Blu-ray or HD DVD) has much interest in a compromise at the moment. The dirty war will continue.

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