Video comparisons?

[DK_UK]

Are there any sites doing video comparisons of the same titles from BR and HD-DVD?

[Grandmaster]

I might be wrong but the vast majority of titles on both formats are from Warners and as they use the VC1 compression scheme, they are pretty much identical. The exact same encode is being used byte for byte.

[Chris]

I might be wrong but the vast majority of titles on both formats are from Warners and as they use the VC1 compression scheme, they are pretty much identical. The exact same encode is being used byte for byte.

Currently no VC1 encoder exists that can directly create Blu-Ray spec material.

The VC1 encoder is currently only able to encode to the HD-DVD specs. They then just run an app that tweaks the files created by the encoder to make them compatible with the Blu-Ray spec (this doesn't change video quality, bitrate, size, etc).

[Grandmaster]

Actually, the settings on the VC1 encoder can be tweaked to create BD-compliant streams.

In the case of the Warner disks the quality of the actual encode remains identical.

So essentially all that you would gain from this comparison would be Toshiba vs Samsung and that would doubtless change depending on whatever other player you would choose.

[irascian]

There were a bunch of comparative reviews done of the first titles released on both formats a month or so ago. HD-DVD won out in every comparison, seemingly for two reasons:

1) the codec Blu-Ray uses was inferior to that used by HD-DVD
2) the only Blu-Ray player available (the Samsung) cropped the image more than the two HD-DVD Toshiba players available and there was some speculation that the perceived poorer quality picture/colour were down to the player rather than the disks.

The reviews were enough to make me think HD-DVD was the way to go (especially with the cheaper players and all) but the situation is changing and in 6 months time the comparative reviews could be saying the opposite. For me HD-DVD is a cheap way into the improved picture quality available, especially now that we're seeing some "day and date" releases with the ordinary DVD versions. But I'm resigned to finding in a year's time I backed the wrong horse and discovering that Blu-Ray is the format that wins.

I think most potential purchasers will be more sensible than me and just wait until the dust settles. It may well be that neither format really takes off (in the same way that LaserDisc really turned out just to be a small niche market) and that a newer (higher resolution) format ends up being the next mass-market replacement for DVD.

The links to the comparative reviews were posted on www.hdbeat.com, since renamed to www.engadgethd.com - this is a site that should be on your 'daily visit' list if you're trying to follow what's going on with HD/Blu-Ray.