For the last couple of years, many people have been talking
about the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war, often comparing it to the VHS/Beta battle that
occurred over two decades ago. Some are wondering who's going to win, while others are
asking, "Has it even begun?"
Frankly, I'm not sure what the answer to any of these
questions is despite the fact that Blu-ray seemed to once again be making the biggest push
at CES, with full-scale demos, like that shown above, and plenty of manufacturers -- such
as Samsung, Pioneer, Panasonic and, of course, Sony, the format's inventor -- showing
support for the fledgling high-def format. Still, Toshiba was there pumping HD DVD, so
they're not giving up, and they do have the advantage of being first to market with their
players -- not an insignificant thing, even if the market isn't all that big yet.
The thing is, though, that although there's all this hoopla
surrounding both Blu-ray and HD DVD, very few people are actually buying either the
players or the discs, in either format. Therefore, while the battle may be raging between
manufacturers, it hasn't really trickled down to the consumer level yet, and it's only
when it does that we'll know about what's been won and lost.
Therefore, I suspect at CES 2008 the same questions will be
asked. I hope there will be quite a few more answers and, maybe, a hint of which companies
might be the eventual winners.
***
I've been an avid moviegoer for about 30 years. I see on
average three movies a week -- in the theater. Therefore, the ongoing progression
of home theater is of great interest to me. But, while the sound quality attainable at
home is as good as you'll experience in the theater, I don't feel that the visual aspect
has reached the same level. Quite simply, I enjoy seeing films more on the big screen.
Of course, that's changing. One company that seems to be
doing a tremendous job at bringing big-screen visuals to the small screen is Pioneer.
While many companies are focusing their efforts on LCD displays, Pioneer is deeply rooted
in plasma, and they've recently released the 50" PRO-FHD1, a 1080p-capable
display that will set you back about $10,000. Yes, it's expensive, but some consider it to
be the best-looking display around.
However, what piqued my interest about it was Pioneer's
trumpeting of the screen's capability to deliver 24-frame-per-second video by partnering
the PRO-FHD1 with the new BDP-HD1 Blu-ray disc player. Of course, they showed that too.
Why is 24fps so important? Because film is created and
played back at that frame rate, and playing back video at that same frame rate (as opposed
to doing some processing and playing back at a faster frame rate, which is what we're used
to with video displays right now) results in a much more film-like image and far
fewer video artifacts, particularly when there's plenty of onscreen movement. In short,
this is what I want to see at home. One day even I might buy one of these players and
displays and not go to the theater as much.
