HD DVD -- A Defining Moment in Home Entertainment
The base disc structure of HD DVD is the same as standard DVD, but that is where the similarities end. HD DVD combines the latest advances in video compression with new laser technologies to provide high definition content on a disc. High definition video requires a tremendous amount of space, thus a new blue laser (versus the red laser for DVD) is utilized for HD DVD. The blue laser, with its shorter wave length, allows for information to be stored more densely on the disc, thus improving storage capacity by about 3 times compared to that of red laser technology. Additionally, more accurate and efficient video compression like MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 (based on Microsoft's Windows Media) compress information to achieve file sizes that are less than half of those of the current DVD's MPEG2. HD DVD not only provides a deliverable HD media format to the home, but does so with the potential of greater performance than you have experienced with HDTV. The disc drive in this refurbished HD-A1 has an astounding 36.55Mbps transfer rate. To put that in perspective, standard DVD has an average bit rate of less than 10Mbps and HDTV's maximum rate is 24Mbps. In a nutshell, the more bits that can be allocated to video, the more detailed the resulting picture can be.
Pure Digital Connection
This refurbished HD-A1 connects to your HDTV with the latest advancement in Audio/Video equipment interfaces, namely the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). HDMI is the first industry-supported all-digital Audio/Video connection providing the transmission of uncompressed digital video and multi-channel audio on a single cable. The HD-A1 will output HD content through the HDMI interface in the native format of the HD DVD disc content of either 720p or 1080i.
Standard DVDs Taken To An HD Level
Since the HD-A1 is backward compatible, you can play your entire collection of DVDs on the player. The HD-A1 takes this a step further by taking advantage of the HDMI interface and scaling the standard definition DVD's video to an output resolution of 720p or 1080i to match your HDTV's performance. Not only is the output of the video in HDTV standard resolutions, but because the conversion takes place in the player, the signal remains free from excessive digital-to-analog conversion artifacts.
Hear What You Are Seeing
HD Video offers a variety of complimentary HD Audio options for disc makers. The mandatory audio formats for HD DVD include both lossy and lossless formats from Dolby Labs and DTS. The mandatory lossy formats are comprised of legacy formats from DVD such as Dolby Digital and DTS, as well as newly developed Dolby Digital Plus aimed at bringing improved fidelity and more channels of information to the HD DVD format. With bit rates over four times that of standard DVD, Dolby Digital Plus brings increased sonic realism to the soundtracks. The lossless mandatory formats include Linear PCM and Dolby TrueHD (only 2 Channel support is mandatory). The TrueHD format is bit-for-bit identical to the high resolution studio masters, and can support up to eight discrete full range channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio. Another lossless format, specified as an optional format, is DTS-HD. This too is bit-for-bit identical to the original soundtrack, but employs high sampling rates of 192kHz. The HD-A1 has built-in multi-channel decoders for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD (2 Channel), DTS, and DTS-HD.
Digital Audio Output Options
The HD-A1 can pass digital information to a surround sound processor/receiver with either S/PDIF or HDMI. For Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, the bitstream will be passed through both connections just as in a standard DVD player with the same interfaces. Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD soundtracks will be converted to a standard bitstream (i.e. Dolby Digital) output through S/PDIF or HDMI. Additionally, all the HD-A1's supported audio formats can be decoded to PCM and output via HDMI in either stereo or 5.1 multi-channel, depending on the original soundtrack.
Exciting Possibilities
HD DVD has the capability to offer unique interactive features that are intended to deliver a superior entertainment experience. From a single disc, many new levels of interactivity are possible. Some possibilities include enhanced menus, fast search with scenes displayed without stopping the movie, commentaries, internet connectivity through the player's Ethernet port, and compatibility with an exciting range of new games. Since the structure of HD DVD and DVD discs are similar, a double-sided disc can be easily produced. If they choose to, studios have the capability to put a HD DVD movie on one side and a standard DVD movie on the other. In other words, you could watch a movie in High Definition on your HD DVD player in your home theater center or take the movie with you and watch the standard definition version with your portable DVD player while on your vacation.
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