I know the PS3 does- it has HDMI 1.3 out of the box. So I ask my cynical question again:

With seemingly so much at stake in the format, look who undercuts most of the market place with a machine that not only can play back the discs, but can play them back with the newest spec (1.3, which means 1080p) and by the way, its also a world class gaming system that people want badly...

I say:
"Do one thing and do it well."
"Jack of all trades, master of none. "

"Do or do not, there is no try" smile

btw- my feelings now having lived with the HD DVD for a little while- at least when comparing to HD Sat broadcasts (I know these are res and bitrate contstrained) and also comparing to the HD content on my Kscape- it comes with two HD documentaries I would say that VC-1 is much more in line with my preferences. I completely agree with the assessment Mark quoted above. I don't mind seeing film grain in an image, if thats how the original film/ movie/ is meant to look. But when its digital noise- thats not good. The Kscape gives a good chance for comparison because until I saw the image off the HD DVD I would have sworn to all of you that this was the best HD image I've seen. In just about every way the VC-1 is more in line with what I like. What I prize most of all is what I would call image stability- that is an absence of noise, ringing and ghosting, colors not smearing, details looking clean and crisp when appropriate. I would also add that I am a sucker for color depth.

I still think DVD is the workhorse for the consumer marketplace, but I have forever been ruined by HD DVD- or probably more correctly VC-1. I am curious to see how H.264 stacks up. I think if you got a BR movie that is encoded in VC-1 the resulting image should be very similar and the differences will come down more to the players and perhaps any bit rate changes- the BR should allow for an even greater bit rate... It should be better.

I still think both formats will join SACD and DVD-A as what I will call "curiosities" but for me just like with DVD-A which I enjoy, I will now, thanks to Mark, enjoy HD DVD. If they ever come out with Star Wars or LOTR on these I will be very pleased!


best regards,
Jerry

Best regards,
Jerry
Main System: 861v6, DSP8000s in corners, DSP7000s Center and Sides, 1-9 humans.