what is the deal with HD dvd players and hi-defintion DVDs?

- "Shootouts" comparing the movies that have been released in both formats keep declaring HD-DVD the winner in picture quality, despite Blu-Ray's potential for larger capacity (note that most commercially-released HD-DVD's are dual-layer 30GB's, while most Blu-Rays right now are single-layer 25GB discs, which means the whole "larger capacity" thing isn't holding true anyway).

- 1080i/p is NOT an issue. If you're watching on a 720p/1080i HDTV set, you'll have to set your Blu-Ray player down to 1080i anyway, and if you're watching on a 1080p HDTV set, the set will convert the 1080i signal from an HD-DVD player to 1080p with no ill effects.

In short, while it's too early to call a victor in this "format war," right now HD-DVD has the upper hand. Two versions of high definition DVD players and discs have been introduced. One is HD-DVD, the other is Blu-Ray. They are not compatible with each other. Neither hi-def disc will play on a standard DVD player. The players, however, will play standard DVDs and even up-convert them to high definition formats (but they still are not high def). The players cost from $500 (HD-DVD) to over $1000. The recorded discs are also much more expensive than regular DVDs.

At its best, HD-DVD can provide the highest picture quality you can get from any source. So far, Blu-Ray is not up to that level; in both systems the individual discs vary in quality.

It is believed generally that eventually one or the other format will come out on top, but it may be some time before we know which one. It is also possible that both formats will exist together for some time, especially if players are available that will play either disc (supposedly being designed right now).