PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360

• Introduction
• Under the Hood: PlayStation 3
• Under the Hood: Xbox 360
• The Software Line-Up
• Seeing in High-Definition
• The Movie Format War
• Conclusion

The Movie Format War

Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 can play DVD movies, but the question on everyone's mind is how do they handle the next-generation formats? Microsoft has announced a HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360, set to be available by the time the PlayStation 3 launches this fall. With no confirmed price, many are guessing that the cost of an Xbox 360 plus the HD-DVD add-on will equal that of a PlayStation 3.

So which is better? Neither. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray have the capacity to display the same high definition movie encoding format that is being used. Both are backed by different industry groups and both are vying to be the dominant format. Unfortunately, this is one area where marketing is going to come into play, as much like the VHS vs. Betamax war, the winner will not be decided on technical merits, but on the selection of movies.

HD-DVD Blu-ray player

That said, if you are planning on purchasing a game system to watch movies on, the PlayStation 3 60GB has an edge at this point. Not because of Blu-ray, but because of its HDMI output. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray support the Image Constraint Token. ICT is designed so that movie publishers can require their films only be displayed over an encrypted HDMI connection. This is done in an attempt to reduce piracy.

If a movie with ICT support is played back through another connection, such as component or VGA, its maximum resolution will be cut down to roughly a quarter of the original size. The end result is you'll be watching an image that looks like a standard DVD, rather than hi-def.

Unless Microsoft includes a HDMI port with the HD-DVD add-on, the Xbox 360 will be incapable of displaying any films that require ICT in their full resolution. Likewise, the PlayStation 3 20GB will never be able to display them. While some studios, such as Sony Tristar, have promised that the first hi-def releases will not require ICT, the fact remains that this could change at any time. Quite simply, you do not want to purchase a system with the primary purpose of playing hi-def films unless it has HDMI.