Sony’s Playstation 2 is often credited with having a big hand in the success of DVD, since the hugely popular games console featured built-in support for the then fledgling movie format.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that two new high-definition video formats are latching themselves onto the star power of the latest next-generation games consoles.

Blu-ray and HD DVD both promise improved picture and sound quality over standard DVDs and, while Sony’s Playstation 3 will be Blu-ray-compatible out of the box when it finally arrives in the UK in March, Microsoft has already released an HD DVD drive for its Xbox 360 console – one of the first HD DVD devices to appear in the UK.

The Xbox accessory is supplied with a rather nice remote control and (for a limited time) an HD DVD copy of Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Using this as our test movie, we were very impressed by the image. Colours are rich, edges are sharp and detail is amazing, although at times it looked a little hyper-real.

Admittedly, this is probably due to the heavy computer-animated content of King Kong, and it’s perhaps the pre-jungle sequences towards the beginning of the film that better serve to demonstrate what the new format is capable of.

Compared to standard-definition DVD, the improvement is instantly noticeable – although remember that you’ll need an HD-ready TV set in order to benefit from the higher resolution picture. There was a tiny smattering of motion stutter now and again but it didn't hinder Kong’s plight too much.

Side-by-side with Blu-ay, the difference in picture quality is less obvious and often depends on how the discs themselves have been produced. We’d suggest, however, that the performance from Microsoft’s £130 accessory is just as good as – if not better than – the £1,000 dedicated Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player we’ve tested in our labs.

The console-based system isn’t without its drawbacks, though. In terms of sound, the 360 is technically incapable of reproducing HD DVD’s high-definition audio track and ‘down-mixes’ it to Dolby Digital. In practice, sound quality is pretty good, but the loud noise the console’s fan makes could well impede your movie-viewing pleasure.

If you’ve already stumped up £279 for a 360 console and you’re looking for a way to watch high-def movies, the Xbox HD DVD drive is a bit of a no-brainer. It’s cheap, easy to set up and can output at up to ‘full’ 1080p HD quality (although you’ll need to download an update and buy a VGA cable for this).

Our one big reservation is the format itself. Quite how the ensuing war between HD DVD and Blu-ray will pan out is hard to predict at this stage, so it’s difficult to know which horse to back. And with barely a smattering of high-def movies available in either camp, it may just be too early to dive into the hi-def disc debacle.

Also consider:
Sony Vaio VGX-XL202 high-definition PC
Cutting-edge technology rushed out the door. Buy it to make your friends envious, but not for usability

Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray drive
A good first-generation Blu-ray drive, but most would be wise to hold on to their money for the moment

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