HD DVD: The format of choice for geek TV

By Ian Morris on 16 August 2007, 12:22pm

Are you a dork? Do you love TV? If the answer to both those questions is yes, you'll probably want to select HD DVD as your next- generation format of choice, because there are some seriously exciting sci-fi TV shows hitting the format in the next few months.

We already know that Heroes is on the way to HD DVD, which is tremendously exciting for fans of the show who haven't been able to catch it on its BBC HD outing. We're also aware of the impending arrival of Star Trek: The Original Series, series one, which hits US stores around 20 November. But now, as if to make sci-fi fans explode with joy, we see (the new) Battlestar Galactica will be getting an HD DVD release on 4 December.

The BSG discs will feature audio commentaries on selected episodes as well as the usual behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes. There's also a picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes commentary, which promises to make the most of the HD DVD release. BSG and Heroes won't be appearing on Blu-ray because their owner, Universal, is exclusively backing HD DVD, at least for now.

Of course Blu-ray has a few tricks up its sleeve, with a show you may have heard of -- Lost -- which is due to make its Blu-ray debut in December, just in time to be stuffed into stockings the world over by high-definition Santa.

Our interest in shows on HD DVD and Blu-ray is in no small part down to the scarcity of high-definition TV shows in the UK. We'd love to see shows such as House and CSI in their original gory HD glory. Even if you're lucky enough to have seen these shows in HD, it's unlikely you'll have seen it in proper 1080p, as they are presented on HD DVD. -Ian Morris