Blu-Ray vs HD DVD

Blu-Ray vs HD DVD, that is the question everyone seems to be asking. Blu-Ray and HD DVD do not differ in the quality of sound or audio, they are both top of the line. Where they begin to differ is with the disc space of the two types of DVDs. Blu-Ray has almost double the capacity than HD DVD and also supports Java. Blu-Ray players also have 7.1 analog audio output while HD DVD players only have optical, HDMI, and on the highest model, 5.1 audio output. HD DVD players also have interactive menus and are also firmware upgradeable through the Internet.

The DVD selection between the two different types are about the same, Blu-Ray may have a few more than HD DVD. Finally HD DVD compared to Blu-Ray are 2 to 1 in households in the US right now and HD DVD are preferred over Blu-Ray, but that still does not sway the direction more towards either Format. So i would suggest either waiting, buying both, or if you are going to choose one, pick HD because its several hundred dollars cheaper, but there is no guarantee it will win.

Speakers and HTIB

Picking speakers for your home theater system is just like choosing a TV, it depends on the size and shape of your room. If you have a smaller room i suggest looking into virtual surround sound. Virtual surround sound is a great alternative when you are lacking space. They are small, easy to setup, and have few wires. Normally they are are 2.1 or 3.1 system, meaning 2 or 3 speakers and a subwoofer.
If you have a medium to large room a 5.1 to 7.1 surround system would sound better. When selecting a surround sound system i always look for the best and would get a 7.1 system because i love home theater, but for the average user a 5.1 system will work just fine. A surround sound system should have Dolby Digital and DTS. On the higher end of home theater you may find a THX certified system but they will be much more expensive. Some other things that are new are True HD and Dolby HD. These will also be in your higher end models right now.

What is HDTV?

What is HDTV? many people may know that it means high definition, but there are several variations of HDTV and several very important terms that you should know. First off, TV sets currently come in 5 major resolutions, 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. These resolutions are in order from lowest quality to highest quality. The i and p at the end of the resolution stand for Interlaced and Progressive. They both describe how often the picture is updated, where i updates half of the picture every 60th of a second and p updates the full picture ever 60th of a second. This means that p will create a smoother picture and less flicker. HD starts at 720p. An interesting fact about this is that there is no 720i because it is not permitted by broadcasting companies. Next, you may be wondering what the numbers represent. They represent the vertical amount of pixels. Finally HD is also widescreen, so more like original movie recordings.