HD DVD Quick Facts/FAQs - HD DVD Video

The DVD Forum has approved 3 encoding/compression formats for high-definition video to be stored on the HD DVD discs.

They are as follows:
>> MPEG-2
>> MPEG-4/AVC
>> VC-1

VC-1 and MPEG-4/AVC codecs are reportedly able to deliver similar high-definition images at significantly lower bitrates than MPEG-2.

VC-1 is currently used in most of the HD DVD titles released in the United States while a mixture of MPEG-4/AVC & VC-1 is used in all HD DVD titles released in Japan.

All HD DVD players will have built-in decoders for ALL three encoding formats.

Contrary to some misconception about the HD DVD format due to early players which only support video output up to 1080i, the HD DVD software and playback hardware can deliver truly high definition images at 1080p resolution to your home theater (with a 1080p capable display). In fact, most HD DVD titles are actually encoded at 1080p resolution and most HD DVD players released today (Toshiba HD-A20, HD-XA2, HD-A30, HD-A35, HD-EP10 & HD-XE1) are capable of 1080p video output.