The Hi-Def Format War, Continued

Despite the progress Sony and Blu-ray made over the last week during Comic-Con, Microsoft and HD-DVD supporters didn't remain silent. One of the biggest exclusive releases for HD-DVD will be the first season of the popular TV series "Heroes," which arrives Aug. 28. The show's creator Tim Kring and the entire cast held a panel Saturday afternoon at the show in a packed ballroom to promote the upcoming second season of "Heroes" as well as the "Heroes: Season 1" DVD. Like some of its Blu-ray counter-parts, the "Heroes" HD-DVD is loaded with extras and interactive features. Along with deleted scenes and the full, never-before-seen 73-minute pilot episode, the package includes the Character Connection, an interactive feature that lets users follow their favorite "Heroes" characters; a download center that connects your HD-DVD player to exclusive Web content; The Helix Revealed, which is an interactive guide to the show's mysterious helix symbol; and the "Heroes' Ability Test," where users can create their own "Heroes" profile and upload it to an exclusive Web site.

View "300" DVD Launch Party Slideshow (20 images)

Other big HD-DVD titles include "Hot Fuzz," the action movie spoof from the team behind the zombie comedy classic "Shaun of the Dead" (both movies arrived on HD-DVD this week). Along with tons of bloopers and deleted scenes from stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the "Hot Fuzz" disc also features video blog diaries from the making of the film as well as a before-and-after special effects segment. Another major release for HD-DVD will be the first season of "Star Trek: The Original Series," which arrives on Nov. 20 and will feature 10 HD-DVD/DVD combo discs that feature the remastered versions of the episodes with improved visuals, new special effects and enhanced sound. Bonus material includes Starfleet access, an interactive graphical interface that allows users to compare the remastered versions of episodes next to the original episodes; a documentary on the remastering process for Star Trek; an interactive tour of The Enterprise; and a sneak preview of Perpetual Entertainment's new Star Trek Online MMO.

Another factor that should help Microsoft and HD-DVD keep pace with Blu-ray and Sony is the price cut for the Xbox 360's ad-on HD-DVD player. Formerly listed at $199, the unit has been reduced to $179 (and in some cases, depending on the retailer, as low as $149). In addition, Microsoft will offer customers five free HD-DVD titles for those that purchase the HD-DVD player between Aug. 1 and September 30. Also, to promote both "Heroes: Season 1" and the HD-DVD version of "300," Microsoft is offering exclusive content for both via Xbox Live Marketplace.

"300" arrived on DVD, Blu-ray and HD-DVD this week.

Even non-exclusive titles like "300" are expected to have a positive effect for both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. "A movie like "300" (which was shot almost entirely with digital backlot and bluescreen effects) is perfect for hi-def," Marty said, "so that should help drive adoption this week." Warner Bros. held a huge DVD launch party for the blockbuster film during Comic-Con at the San Diego Padres' stadium Petco Park. Red carpet guests include director Zack Snyder and comic book legend Frank Miller, and guests were invited to watch the full movie on Petco Park's Jumbotron (check out the TwitchGuru review of "300").

In addition to hi-def visual and audio quality offered by the new formats, both Blu-ray and HD-DVD are using every gigabyte of space on a disc to load movies and TV shows with as many interactive features as they can possibly hold. Rather than just deleted scenes and documentary features, the new hi-def discs are becoming more like software than simple VHS or traditional DVD movies. It's likely that we'll be seeing more interactive software features, as well as video game/movie combinations like the Midway action title John Woo's Stranglehold, which arrives next month. The PlayStation 3 version of Stranglehold will include Woo's epic action movie "Hard Boiled" on a single Blu-ray disc with the video game (for more on "Hard Boiled," go here).

Bonus feature and interactive software are great, but the big question, of course, is which format will be victorious. And consumers aren't likely to know the answer for at least another year.

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