Format Frenzy

Just when you thought DVD was here to stay, along comes a new shiny disc to throw the universe out of balance. Yes I am talking about Blu-Ray, the optical disc format launched in 2006 that promises an enhanced visual and aural experience in glorious HD and digital surround sound. Does this make your standard-def DVD collection obsolete? Not at all. Not only are Blu-Ray players backward compatible with DVD, but most will upconvert a standard DVD to synthetic HD though a complex set of algorithms embedded in the video processor. Samsung currently has the most advanced upconversion technology via the HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) processor originally developed by the US military for high resolution satellite photography. Silicon Optix was commissioned to shrink $60,000 worth of circuitry into an inexpensive HQV chip that lies at the heart of most new Samsung players. At the present time the best bang for the buck HQV equipped Samsung player is the BDP-2500, which should be arriving on store shelves at any time. I can just smell the packing material!