Holiday Buying Guide 2007: HD DVD And Blu-ray

The Blu-ray/HD DVD war is going strong and we love it here at TVSnob. We are of the opinion that good old fashioned competition lowers prices, which is what we want for you this holiday season. Low prices aren't everything though, especially when it comes to high-def players. There is no point in "saving" a bunch of money only to find out your Blu-ray or HD DVD player is a dud. So we've compiled a list via our own research and that of some of the world's best consumer product reviewers, leading you to the best buys this 2007 holiday season, combining both price and value.

Note:Purchasers of Blu-ray players download this form to receive 5 free Blu-ray discs
Purchasers of HD DVD players download this form to receive 5 free HD DVD discs

Sony PlayStation 3 (80GB) Blu-ray Player

The PlayStation 3 is hands-down responsible for the sales lead Blu-ray has over HD DVD at the moment. Too bad the majority of owners don't even know their machine has a Blu-ray player! The new 80GB Motorstorm Pack, in addition to its state-of-the-art video gaming capacity, also contains a Blu-ray player. Enhanced by IBM's "Cell" processor and exclusive Nvidia graphics processor, the PS3's Blu-ray connects to your HDTV through an HDMI output, bringing 128-bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution to your screen. Currently $499.99 including free shipping, the PS3 comes with the game Motorstorm and 5 free Blu-ray movies using this rebate until January 31, 2008.

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player

This is one of the hugest deals among the high-def player choices for this year. Regularly priced at a whopping $800, the HD-XA2 is only $499.98 right now. This means you're saving a little over $300 or 38%. That's not all either. The purchase comes with free shipping to your doorstep and 5 free HD DVD's. The HD-XA2 outputs 1080p with Deep Color support via HDMI 1.3 and with the help of Silicon Optix Reon HQV processing. This means full HD television with its native contrast, detail, and overall vibrancy. Audio supports include Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD, Dolby Digital and DTS bringing a realism into your home theater experience when combined with the picture depth. Standard definition material will be upconverted to 1080p by way of the player's backwards compatibility. Definitely a hot deal for this holiday season.

Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Player

Available for pre-order right now, the DMP-BD30 carries a price tag of $499.99 and will ship for free on December 1 if you purchase now. Equipped with the Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (Final Standard Profile), this Blu-ray outputs or upconverts 1080p full HD resolution via HDMI 1.3. Incredible sound and picture is generated using a Dolby True HD Decoder and DTS/DTS-HD High Resolution/Master Audio Decoder. Definitely one of the most advanced and up-to-date Blu-ray players on the market.

Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player

Standing less than 2.5 inches high, the HD-A30 features a lower-end price for higher-end features. Especially now, because if you purchase the Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD player, you'll save $110 off the regular price of $400 and pay only $289.88. That's a full 28% discount. The HD-A30 connects to your HDTV using the HDMI 1.3 interface bringing full 1080p HD, 24 frames-per-second video to your screen. It also connects to the internet via an ethernet cable to make firmware updates and HD DVD interactive features easily accessible to you. The HD-A30 will also upconvert all of your standard DVD's to 1080p, or even 720p or 1080i is so desired. The player supports supports most surround sound audio standards, has built-in Dolby decoding technology, and utilizes an HDMI-CEC connection to hook up to other home theater hardware, ultimately allowing you to coordinate your entire home theater with the touch of a single button on your remote control.

Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray Player

The first Blu-ray player to support Dolby True HD decoding, bring theater quality sound with up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, the DMP-BD10A also utilizes an Advanced Pixel Processor to bring an amazing 1080p HD picture to your high-def TV. Standard definition DVD's are upconverted to full HD and displayed on your TV via an HDMI output. Right now, you'll save $145, paying only $455 with free shipping. Definitely a nice chunk of change remaining in your pocket compared to the regular price of $600!

Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray Player

These Blu-ray players are moving like absolute hotcakes at the moment. Although pricey at $599, the Samsung's HQV true 1080i to 1080p HD deinterlacing process delivers some of the sharpest HD images to your TV set of all the high-def players. With 24 frames-per-second output, a user-friendly interface, and HDMI 1.3, the BD-P1200 is easy to use and has some of the best video and sound quality around. Try it out and you'll see the price is justified.

LG BH100 Combo HD DVD/Blu-ray Player

With the HD DVD/Blu-ray war polarizing consumers, there is never very much talk about combo players, but there are some good ones out there. The LG BH100 plays both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs at either 1080p through HDMI output or 720p/1080i through either HDMI or component video outputs. It will also play and upconvert any video, recordable, or rewritable DVD to 720p/1080i through HDMI. The one drawback is that the player is not capable of playing CD's; not that many people actually use their high-def players for CD's. You'll take a slight hit to the pocketbook with the LG's $698 price tag, but hey, you're getting the best of both world's for (in some cases anyway) the price of one.

November 12, 2007

Holiday Buying Guide 2007: HD DVD And Blu-ray