Gear of the Year

Those who recall the VHS versus Beta debate of the late 1970s and 1980s got a case of déjà vu this year when rival high-definition DVD formats debuted over the span of two months. Toshiba released its HD-A1 ($500) and HD-XA1 ($800), the first high-definition DVD disc players, in April. Samsung followed in June with its BD-P1000 ($1,000), which plays a similar—but different—disc format called Blu-ray. Players made for one format don’t play the other format’s discs.

Both formats, however, promise similar benefits: sharper images than those of standard DVDs, and high data-storage capacities. Stereoland, a home audio and video equipment dealer with stores in Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, carried the first HD DVD and Blu-ray players shortly after they became available. The initial releases of both formats were very buggy, says installation manager Ben Lohmann.

Lohmann reports that the newest versions of the Toshiba and Samsung players are better, and that some of the earlier version’s problems with sluggish response have been solved. In addition, only a few movie titles were available to rent or buy in either format a couple months ago, but more options are available now.

Older players’ bugs can be fixed with firmware upgrades, he says, and he’s certain that prices for players and discs will come down. The Samsung and Toshiba players support most older DVDs.

Oh, and what about the pictures these machines produce? “They’re incredible” he says. “People have been asking forhigh-definition DVDs for a while. Eventually, they’ll be mainstream.”