TO HD OR NOT TO HD?

Why should we have to re-invest in to buying our whole film collection again? Having just about managed to buy my whole VHS collection again on DVD the new HD (High Definition) format will mean the eventual need to update again! As the need for sharper, cleaner images become greater, we now have a solution, HD TV however with this new technology a small war is brewing for DVD glory. With both Blu-Ray (Sony, MGM and Twentieth Century Fox) and HD-DVD (Warners, Disney and Universal) fighting it out to see who's hardware will prevail what does this mean to us? Well they both work in the same way, by reading using a blue laser as apposed to the red DVD players use at present and either win will initially allow back compatibility meaning that we can play our existing DVDs on the new systems but I suspect that this won't last for long.

My main concern is that DVD's at present are full with useless extras that give little insight in to the film itself but rather act as fillers to help market the product, Collateral being a prime example of a needlessly produced 2 disc edition. The eventual goal for the new hardware is to feature the whole Bond box set (21 discs at present) on to one DVD whilst providing better image and sound quality. Recently estimated, the first generation discs will hold four (HD-DVD) to six (Blu-Ray) times as much as current discs. Although HD-DVD seems inferior the need for new manufacturing equipment and plants for Blu-Ray will mean a more expensive price tag. Although these ideas sound far fetched, with HD already being used in Japan and America through television, come 2007 we will begin to see newer equipment with a bigger price tag.

Although this feels like I am complaining, I believe that this progress is important but am greatly concerned over the larger price tag and seeing the beloved DVDs going to same way as VHS but more importantly seeing a DVD featuring 7 hours of extras such as 'Affleck's Personal Diary'.