'Make Digital Easy' author says HD DVD is 'better product'

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Yet another “HD DVD wins, Blu-ray stinks” article made the rounds this weekend, only it’s from a guy whose opinion actually means something (I think). Don Lindich, whose “Digital Made Easy” books—I don’t know—make digital easy, says HD DVD is the better value right now. An abundance of cheap players, increased studio support, Wal-Mart support, ease of manufacturing… the list is long and distinguished. All of these little factors add up to make HD DVD the one to get right now.

On the surface, at least.

Let’s say you’re into gaming. For $400, you can grab a PS3 that doubles as a Blu-ray player. That’s really not a bad deal, a “next gen” (isn’t it “current gen” by now?) system and the ability to watch high-def movies for four bills. But that’s only if you’re a gamer.

That said, if all you want is to watch high-def movies, games be damned, then yes, HD DVD would be the practical choice. 1080p is 1080p, right?

May I suggest that a lot of the initial Blu-ray hype was because of A) its “better” name and B) the fact that it has more storage capacity, which is completely irrelevant if the studios encode their movies using MPEG4-4?

Sound Advice: HD DVD leaves Blu-ray in the dust [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Xbox-Scene]