Impressive Technology Included In New HD-DVD Player

An electronics company, Onkyo, is planning to introduce an HD-DVD player which, with a price tag of nine hundred dollars, actually costs significantly more than most of today's current Blu-ray players. Another interesting detail about this device is that it is not a dual format high def DVD player. It's simply an HD-DVD player.

The wisdom of introducing a nine hundred dollar HD-DVD player is somewhat questionable right now considering the fact that HD-DVD has been engaged in a format war with its rival Blu-ray format for well over a year now. The two formats of optical discs are capable of storing full length movies on single discs in HDTV format with all of their bonus features. The format war is a result of the fact that the two types of discs are not compatible and that the survivor of the format war will make a lot of money off of licensing fees and royalties. In the meantime though, consumers get to suffer the anxiety of which format to choose and whether their formate of choice will go extinct or become one and only format.

There have been a number of technologies that have popped up that could make the format war a moot point from the point of view of consumers, but none of them have caught on so far. Dual format discs for example, are an alternative that provides a Blu-ray movie on one side of a disc and the same movie in HD-DVD format on the other side of the disc so that either type of player can be used, but discs using this technology haven't made it to market yet. Another answer comes in the form of dual format player that can play discs of both formats. Though these devices actually exist, the two models that are available at this point are so expensive that they make Onkyo's new HD-DVD player look like a bargain at nine hundred dollars. Indeed if the Onkyo player was capable of playing disks of both formats, it would be a bargain.

Instead of going for the versatility of playing either format of High Def DVD, the Onkyo DV-HD805 goes for high technology in a number of different ways. For example it provides features like lossless Dolby TrueHD and the ability to play twenty four frame 1080p video. In addition, this model will also have DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream pass through modes. (Incidentally, all of these features are supposed to be part of a new line of HD-DVD players from Toshiba.

In addition to all of those features, the Onkyo DV HD805 will have an HQV Reon VX video processor. This addition is supposed to give it a greater capability for upcoverting video and converting 1080i to 1080p through deinterlacing.

While all of those features are impressive, considering the fact that many people are so concerned about whether or not an HD-DVD player is a good purchase at all- and many people are still confused about the distinction between High Def DVD's and normal DVD's- this is clearly a product that's intended for the high end audio-video aficionado.

E. Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the latest technology news about Cable Television. She has written for many major publications about Cable Television Access and how buyers can find the best deals.

Diagonal Screen Size (inches) 42 t Ratio 16:9 (Widescreen) HDTV Compatibility 1 480p (EDTV) rs NTSC (Standard analog broadcasts) ATSC/ QAM (SDTV and HDTV broadcasts) CableCARD Ready 2 Yes Native Resolution (Number of Pixels) 852 x 480 DVI-HDCP Interface No view HDMI-HDCP Interface Yes Photo Viewer Yes (SD Slot) Contrast Ratio Up to 4000:1 Displayable Colors Over 1 Billion (1,070,000,000) Mach Band Effect Enhancer Yes Gamma Enhancement System Yes Audio Input (for Video) 2 rear, 1 front Audio Input (for PC) 1 front (shared input) Pedestal Stand Included Composite Video Input 2 rear, 1 front Composite Video Output 1 rear output S-Video Input 2 rear, 1 front Component Video Input [Y, PB(CB), PR(CR)] 2 rear inputs BBE® ViVA HD3D Sound Yes Speakers 2 (16W, 6 ohms, 105Hz - 20kHz, 10% THD) Pixel Pitch (H x V) 1.08 x 1.08 mm PC Input (RGB-VGA) Mini D-sub 15-pin (front) Audio Input (for Component Video) 2 AI Sound Yes Surround Sound Yes 2-Tuner Picture-In-Picture Yes (Split Screen Display) P-I-P Scalable Size Yes V-Chip Program Lockout Yes Timers - Sleep/ On/ Off Yes Built-In Closed Caption Decoder Yes 1536 Shades of Gradation Yes New Real Black Drive System Yes Remote Control Included Dimensions (H x W x D) 25.9'' x 46.1'' x 3.9'' Weight79.4 lbs


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