Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Most consumers have not made the plunge of purchasing the next generation of high definition DVDs, either Blu-ray or HD-DVD. With prices of Blu-ray and HD-DVD drives dropping all the time, it is becoming more tempting to take the leap to HD. However, the competing formats have muddied the water. I have no idea who is going to win the format war. It looks like Blu-ray is in the lead but that can change. Here are some tips to avoid being a casualty in that format war:

1. Buy the cheapest player available. Right now the cheapest player available is a refurbished Toshiba HD-A1 from TigerDirect. For $199, you can get a fairly good HD-DVD player that can also upconvert your standard definition DVDs. If you have a X-box 360, consider getting the HD-DVD add-on.
2. Do not buy any movies. Rent them. The true cost of the next generation DVDs are not the players themselves, rather the individual movies. HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies are crazy expensive. $30 to $40 per movie adds up real quick, especially if you pick the wrong format. Netflix and Blockbuster (online only for HD-DVD) offer both formats for rental. There also is no extra charge for renting HD movies. Once the format war is decided, then start buying your movies.
3. High end solution: Buy a media center computer with the LG combo drive. For the truly adventurous, this is the most expensive option. HP is now selling the LG combo drive as a $500 add-on to their M8010Y media center. The $500 dollars will get you access to both drives, rendering the format war pointless. One note of caution, if you are going the media center route, plan on using PowerDVD Ultra as your playback software. Nero is really buggy so stay away from it. The main advantage of a media center is that you can rip the movies to a hard drive.
4. Wait for a Winner. If none of the options above entice you, I would suggest sticking to the sidelines of the format war and wait for a winner.