March 12, 2009, 11:10 am The Blu-ray vs. DVD View-Off By Eric A. Taub NY Times
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/the-blu-ray-vs-dvd-view-off/?pagemode=print In a move worthy of one former presidential candidate, Toshiba was in favor of high-definition DVDs before it was against them. Early last year, Toshiba, the major proponent of the HD DVD format, lost the standards battle to Sony, creator of the rival Blu-ray system. In August, it introduced a new technology, a standard-definition DVD player using a technology it called XDE. The XD-E500 player, Toshiba said, would bring near HD quality to standard-definition DVDs, mainly by using advanced edge-enhancement technology. Today, the XD-E500 can be had for $99 or less, while the least expensive Blu-ray players are priced south of $300. (Other highly regarded upconverting DVD players are available from such companies as Oppo Digital.) I’m a big fan of the DVD format. It offers a quantum leap in picture quality as compared to videotape, longer-lasting media and random rather than linear access. But I’ve always questioned the benefits of Blu-ray; picture quality looks very good but I’m perfectly happy with standard-def DVDs. Unless you like Blu-ray’s extra features, like BD Live, the incremental difference in picture quality didn’t seem worth the expense. To check out my assumptions, I did two side-by-side tests. I connected Toshiba’s XD-E500 and Panasonic’s sub-$300 (discontinued) DMP-BD35K Blu-ray players to a 46-inch Panasonic 1080p plasma set, the TH-46PZ850U. I ran the same movie in both simultaneously, the De Niro/Pacino thriller “Righteous Kill,” using Blu-ray and standard DVD copies, jogging back and forth between the inputs to make instant comparisons in picture quality. Then I switched out the Toshiba for a simple Sony progressive scan DVD player that cost me $70 three years ago. The results: the XDE image was better than the old Sony, but not by much. And both looked quite good. On the other hand, the Blu-ray machine simply blew away both standard-definition players. The difference was dramatic. The Blu-ray images were smooth, sharp and rich. Every scene “popped” with a clarity and presence never seen with standard DVD, making the scenes, whether daytime exteriors or heavily shadowed interior club scenes, come alive. Of course I was using one of the highest-rated flat-panel TVs available, and in a size designed to accentuate Blu-ray’s quality. I doubt that the differences would have been so noticeable on more modest-sized screens viewed at the same 10-foot distance I was using. Toshiba is a bit oblique in its marketing claims. The company’s Web site states that the XD-E500 “upconverts standard-definition DVD content to HD.” But it also cautions that “although near the picture quality, XDE does not produce or result in native HD video content.” The difference in picture quality between Blu-ray and standard-definition DVD was very obvious. But the difference is accentuated when you get the chance to flip back and forth between the two. Just as many owners of rear-projection DLP sets don’t notice that their picture is getting dimmer over time, many owners of standard-definition DVD players will be perfectly happy with the picture quality, and won’t notice what they’re missing, unless they have something better, such as Blu-ray, with which to compare it. Blu-ray player prices continue to fall; Toshiba must know that its XDE products have a very limited life span. The cost difference between the two is barely more than $100, and once that declines even further, there will be little reason for the average consumer not to choose Blu-ray when looking for a DVD machine. -- ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 Mail: antunes at uh dot edu *********************************** * POST TO [email protected] * *********************************** Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
