High definition DVD players

Not only Hi-Def for your local news reports, but now HD Movies on DVD is the thing. Toshiba now has their HD DVD players for sale in the US. Look for them in the big boxes at least by the end of the month. You can find Toshiba’s HD-A1 on Amazon for about $500.

But it’s the Beta thing all over again. Sony, Panasonic and Samsung are not far behind with their Blu-ray technology scheduled to roll out June, July and September. Problem is Blu-ray is totally incompatible with Toshiba’s HD-DVD. Got a headache already? Calling your neighborhood psychic?

One difference is real estate…HD-DVD runs 15 GB max or 30 in the dual layer format. Blu-ray can max out at 50 GB. If you are thinking of a whole season of Gilligan’s Island on one disk, then Blu-ray is your friend. So some movies will be available on HD, some on Blu-ray.

Maybe you should just sit back and let the big guys duke it out without your money…and shell out for the DVD survivor in a couple of years. Or not.