DVD vs. HD: raising the bar.

Often when people overhear me talk about how inferior DVD is or how limiting DVD is they are typically surprised. That is, most people still feel that DVD offers the most stunning picture and sound quality available at home. However, this is starting to quickly change as more and more people are 1. buying HDTV's and 2. obtaining HD programming. Both of which quickly lead people down a path that demonstrates to them just how good HD can look, but with that comes a new bar. Once that bar is raised, DVD by comparison, doesn't hold up. It just can't. DVD is limited to just standard definition with MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 technologies only able to up to 720X 576. In comparison, HD programming and or HD-DVD/Blu-ray can do 1920X1080, which means that the lines of resolution are doubled. Not only can DVD not handle the resolution, but the compression needed to fit the movie onto a DVD is a great factor in the poorer picture as well. A DVD, even a dual layered DVD is under 10GB of space, whereas a Blu-ray disc currently comes in a 25GB and 50GB size. This means that the video and audio can be uncompressed, typically you will see the audio say something like 5.1 uncompressed PCM audio on a Blu-ray disc. This enables high resolution audio, plus great picture quality and STILL have room for supplements without jeopardizing performance, at least to a certain degree.

It won't be long with more people having HD programming before DVD will begin to seem like VHS quality by comparison, this doesn't mean that it will go away, just think VHS lasted over 20 years even when a superior format like the 12" laserdisc was around in conjunction.