Even though HD DVD died a slow and painful death, Microsoft is still showing current Xbox 360 HD DVD player owners ongoing love with the release of today's auto update. Once connected to Xbox Live with a HD DVD player firmly integrated into your 360, you'll be prompted to download a new update that's said to help with compatibility issues with some titles and will add additional support for network features. Even though this update won't resurrect Toshiba's commitment to HD DVD, it should make your HD movie experience a tad bit more enjoyable. 27
HD DVD currently also has some discs with impressive extras, such as the ability to show video commentary in a picture-in-picture window and even download content from the Web--features Blu-ray won't be adding until later. It also was able to play the "In-Movie Experience" video commentary track over the movie, in a picture-in-picture setup. While both of these features worked perfectly well, they did seem a bit more sluggish on the HD DVD add-on drive than on the Toshiba HD-A20--downloads seemed slower and the video commentary didn't seem to play back as quickly. But these are nitpicks, as most people only rarely look at the extra features and they still work perfectly fine. 48
Many reviewers have relaxed their coverage of standard DVD players in favor of high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD players. You might consider a high-def player if you own an HDTV, but be aware that there are two competing and incompatible formats involved (remember VHS vs. Betamax?) and it is unclear which will prevail. Furthermore, prices for high-definition DVD players start at about $300. Right now, many experts say that most people are just better off waiting until the dust settles on the format war, and when prices drop. 13
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