Until earlier this week, there was no way to directly compare a Blu-ray disk to its competitor on HD DVD using identical source material. But then Warner Home Video released Training Day, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Rumor Has It... on Blu-ray, making them the first movies available on both formats, allowing a direct comparison of the quality of each. Surprisingly, there were noticeable differences.
Details after the jump.
[Graphic courtesy Sci Fi Tech]
High Def Digest reviewer Peter M. Bracke gave the definitive nod to the HD DVD:
"In our first head-to-head comparison, we found the HD DVD to be superior. The unfortunate cropping of the Blu-ray image, coupled with more noticeable compression artifacts and an overall darker cast, can't compete with the more consistently pleasing presentation of the HD DVD ... I must say, our first Blu-ray versus HD DVD comparisons continue to yield surprises. I wasn't expecting to see much difference in video quality between the two formats with 'Rumor Has It...', yet the two discs did bear noticeable differences, with the HD DVD boasting better detail and a more film-like look."
Bracke used the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player and a Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player for the comparison, and said the Blu-ray version had more compression artifacts in the single-layer Training Day disc, was less bright, and was cropped on the sides, giving HD DVD the nod for superior picture quality. In the dual-layer Kiss Kiss Bang Bang disc, it was harder to tell the difference between the two formats, although the reviewer still gave a nod to HD DVD quality, as he did with the third title, Rumor Has It. So, round 1 goes to HD DVD.