Two different high-definition DVD formats are competing to bring quality entertainment HD DVD at your home. because we have reviewed the DVD rental services online for a while, we decided to take a look at each of the competing technologies, HD DVD and Blu-ray in an attempt to bring some clarity to our readers.
High Definition TV or HDTV, began to gain prominence in the early part of this decade thanks to a reduction of the purchase price of HDTVs with a significant increase in the availability of high definition programming offered by the major networks and cable televison providers. However, it quickly became apparent that standard DVDs, even in high-end DVD players, could not take advantage of the many benefits HDTVs offered to viewers. Due to some disputes related to specific technologies, both standards have emerged to solve this problem. 
In our view, the Sony backed Blu-ray and Toshiba backed HD DVD formats offer consumers nearly identical benefits, including Major greater storage capacity, significantly improved quality of HD picture and the potential for more interactive elements (using a broadband Internet connection) as a standard DVD.
The real differentiation comes when you begin to examine the availability of movie titles for the two competing high definition DVD technology. Blu-ray has agreements with six major movie studios, including Sony Pictures, Buena Vista, Twentieth Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, and more recently, Warner Bros. HD DVD on the other hand, has only one major film studio, Universal, producing DVD content for its players.
Warner Bros had already published high-def DVD to HD DVD and Blu-ray, but made the move exclusively to Blu-ray as a reaction to buying trends they saw the wordlwide development. Said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment America:
We were the only studio releasing both formats, but consumers who bought gravitated toward Blu-ray - particularly in the United Kingdom and Japan.
Both rated services online movie rental, Blockbuster and Netflix, offer high definition DVD movies in both formats, but the number of Blu-ray movie titles much more important given the large number of studios that release movies exclusively on this format.
Our opinion is that Blu-ray will inevitably hold the DVD market HD and become the de facto standard. So if you absolutely buy high def DVD player now, Blu-ray is certainly the way to go.
That said, we suggest that consumers expect before you jump into HD DVD for the interval. Blu-ray players are still relatively expensive at about $ 399 and movies cost around $ 40 item. This price will inevitably decline over the next year that will upgrade from standard DVD even more attractive to most consumers.
In the meantime, we strongly suggest that all our readers who frequently watch DVD at home register for an online DVD rental service that will save time and money. We reviewed several DVD rental services online and you can read our reviews and comparisons in our Online DVD Rental Guide.