High-Def Players for the Holidays

In the ongoing struggle for supremacy between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, every week seems to bring news from one camp or the other. (One week, HD DVD sells 90,000 players. Another week, Blu-ray tops the disc sales charts, again.) But that doesn't mean you need to put off your high-def player purchase. Regardless of the format you choose, you have more player options than ever before, with a slew of models new to store shelves since the summer. Players have plummeted in price this holiday season, too, dropping by as much as two-thirds over last year's prices (and one holdover from last year, Sony's Blu-ray-equipped PlayStation 3, now comes in a low-end version that's just $400).

A "next-generation" DVD player handles high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD discs. Both formats can deliver stunning pictures filled with detail, but you should check to see which format your film favorites are on: HD DVD currently touts Paramount and Universal titles exclusively, Blu-ray has the backing of Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, and Sony, and both formats offer Warner content.