Even for big-time gadget geeks like myself, this whole “next generation DVD” thing is killing me. Now that High Definition TV has finally caught on (the best gauge of that is that your parents finally got one – so much for your inheritance), the electronics gods have our heads spinning between Blu-ray and HD DVD. We know we want one, and bad, they just haven’t made it easy for us to pick.

If you’ve already sucked it up and laid down an average of $700 or up for one or the other, you can stop reading now. We all hate you, Mr. Disposable Income. This article is for those of us who:

A)   Don’t have that kind of cash burning a hole in our pockets,
B)   Can’t spend that kind of cash without holding a family meeting first, or
C)   Don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of next generation “Beta tapes.”

Now that I’ve brought it up, that’s the best comparison for anyone who actually remembers the late 70s. Does the name BetaMax ring a bell? It was VHS’s biggest rival format when VCRs first started catching on. Better quality picture, better sound, more durable tapes, but it priced itself out of the market. And the folks who bought them? Well, we all know the guy in the old neighborhood who had a Beta. It was like walking by Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy at the freak show. “Ooh! Is that him? Wowwwww.” Interesting footnote – Beta was pioneered by Sony, and is still the format of choice for many TV stations.

So now that DVD (with a little help from DVRs) has killed and buried the VCR (and the whole idea of “taping” things anymore), the Grim Reaper has turned his sickle toward our shiny disc friend. But unlike Beta vs. VHS (12 manufacturers vs. 40 at launch), this race is a lot tougher to call.

First off, they don’t play nice with each other. You can’t play a Blu-ray Disc in an HD DVD player or vice-versa. They both play your old DVDs. And they both provide HD-level pictures which are six times the resolution of current DVDs. Stop yawning. This is better than any HD broadcast you’ve seen, because it’s a direct link to your display – not scrambled, sent to your set-top box and descrambled for bandwidth needs, like cable or satellite. So no matter which way you go, it’s gorgeous. However, like the never-ending Highlander series, there can only be one. And keep in mind, these formats may also determine your next computer or video game console purchase, too.

Both discs hold more information than current DVDs (25GB per layer vs. 4.7 GB per layer, each disc having 2 layers of content). This enables either of the new formats to hold much more information on a single disc, which is exactly what all that high-def content is – more data. It’s sorta like the memory card on your camera – you can have 10 really sharp pictures, or 100 not-as-sharp pictures in the same space. Up until now, high-def DVDs weren’t possible because the sharper, crisper picture (and sound) took up far more space than a standard 8-9GB DVD can hold, and that’s before you get into special features and deleted scenes.

With more than 5 times the capacity, the new discs can easily hold all that high-def content, as well as up to 8 channels of digital surround sound. Saving Private Ryan, anyone? Or that old standby, the opening Star Destroyer scene from the original Star Wars. Yummy.

So that’s the tale of the tape. Now let’s get down to business.

In the name contest, HD DVD wins hands-down. I like HD. I know what DVDs are. This combines both. Done. Blu-ray sounds like a pair of sunglasses or the Smurfs’ cousin from Detroit.
One point to HD DVD.

Many studios that support HD DVD are including the “regular” DVD version on the flip side. Bonus, if you happen to like Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, or HBO. Blu-ray? Not so much. But if I already have these movies on DVD, do I really care? To add some red-light weight to the debate, the ever-powerful pornography industry has decided, at least for now, to back HD DVD. However, I’d argue there are some things we do not need to see in sparkling, high-def – another man’s junk being number one.
Half a point to HD DVD.

Speaking of the (legitimate) studios, some support Blu-ray, some support HD DVD, and then you’ve got the ones betting on both red and black. So, for the time being, you should be able to find many of your favorite movies in either format, since the studios just want to sell as many copies of The Da Vinci Code and Talladega Nights as they can.
No points to either camp.

Hardware? Blu-ray is the undisputed champ. Only Toshiba, Microsoft, and RCA have HD DVD hardware available, and Microsoft’s is a $200 add-on drive for the XBOX 360. Blu-ray has players and hardware from Samsung, Pioneer, Phillips, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Sony, who also happens to currently offer the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market – a little thing called the Playstation 3. (Yes, I just gave you the ammunition you needed to get a new game console AND a next-gen DVD player.)
One and a half points to Blu-ray.

Price? On the low end, you’re looking at about $200 for an add-on HD DVD player (if you have an XBOX) or $600 (for a Blu-ray playin’ PS3 if you can find one). For a full-functioned player, HD DVD players go for $400-$1,000, and Blu-ray go from to $500 to $1,300. Mind you, the cheaper ones are brands you may not have heard of, and prices are falling every day.
One point to HD DVD.

As for your next PC? HP, Toshiba, and Acer support HD DVD, and Blu-ray has Sony, Apple, Dell, and fence-sitter HP.
Another point to Blu-ray.

Final score?
HD DVD: 2.5
Blu-ray: 2.5

It’s too early to tell, but either way, you’ll be looking at an amazing picture that will blow you away. Don’t feel any pressure to decide, though, until prices for either format’s player get below $300 – and they will. Remember that friend of yours who bought one of the first DVD players for $1,200? These days, you get one free for getting a Home Depot card.

We’ve got time to decide, and I know you’ve got at least 10 DVDs you haven’t even watched on your current player yet. But I know your hands are tied if your jackass neighbor gets one and waves it in your face.  Now, just to add a little more intrigue, and possibly the electronic version of a pimp slap, LG electronics announced right before this year’s Consumer Electronics Show that they’re planning to launch a dual-format HD DVD/Blu-ray player this Spring. Ouch.

We benefit from competing multiple formats, in that each camp will try to impress us with features, benefits, and ultimately, lower prices. But like I said, the short history of consumer electronics tells us that at the end of the day, there will only be one. Maybe we should wait to see which format gets the Highlander series first.

Still have questions? CNET has a pretty good FAQ.

Got a gadget question? Hit me up at Kwame@bebetterguys.com