HIGH-DEF Disc Absolute Sales Figures.

[westcott]

True, but they are usually a bit better than std DVD's. Some are better than others. The "Planet Earth" series on Discovery has very good quality, compressed or not. Sports are not so bad even though they are in 720p most of the time. It will work for me, for now.
Come on Blu-Ray. Or come on HD-DVD. Someone, finish up.

I think this is a good opportunity to clarify the differences between film and video. The examples you give are video. Video is shot in 30fps or 60fps (some sports events even higher for slow motion playback). Film, on the other hand, is typically 24fps. This is where deinterlacing comes in and where most of the conversion to a video format makes or breaks a films original look. A quality DVD player can make all the difference for film material. Video, on the other hand has the advantage of not going through any conversions, other than possibly scaling. Also, most video shot today is using a HD camera to begin with and is not on film media at all so it does not have to undergo the film conversion. HD cameras also operate in an entirely different manner than film cameras. Their are also artisitic differences that still make it a prefered recording method, even today with HD camers readily available. Film makers are still learning how to shoot with video and it will take some time before we see a lot of content shot in video to begin with.

Old habits are hard to break, whether they be audio or video and only time will tell what media will be the dominating format.

[GMichael]

I think this is a good opportunity to clarify the differences between film and video. The examples you give are video. Video is shot in 30fps or 60fps (some sports events even higher for slow motion playback). Film, on the other hand, is typically 24fps. This is where deinterlacing comes in and where most of the conversion to a video format makes or breaks a films original look. A quality DVD player can make all the difference for film material. Video, on the other hand has the advantage of not going through any conversions, other than possibly scaling. Also, most video shot today is using a HD camera to begin with and is not on film media at all so it does not have to undergo the film conversion. HD cameras also operate in an entirely different manner than film cameras. Their are also artisitic differences that still make it a prefered recording method, even today with HD camers readily available. Film makers are still learning how to shoot with video and it will take some time before we see a lot of content shot in video to begin with.

Old habits are hard to break, whether they be audio or video and only time will tell what media will be the dominating format.

Good points. When I do watch a film on HD-HBO or HD-"pick another" it is not of the same quality as the video I see on Discovery. They are still a bit better than a std DVD, but the difference is not nearly as dramatic.