Question: Are Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players Compatible with Standard DVDs and CDs?
NOTICE: HD-DVD is now officially discontinued. However, information on HD-DVD, and its comparison to Blu-ray, is still contained in this article for historical purposes, as well as the fact that there are still many HD-DVD player owners, and HD-DVD players and discs will continue to be sold and traded on the secondary market for some time.
Answer: So far, both Blu-ray and HD-DVD player manufacturers have included the ability for their units to playback standard DVDs, this is expected to continue with Blu-ray Disc players, now that HD-DVD has been discontinued. This means your current DVD library is playable on either a Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD player. Also, when you play a standard DVD in either a Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD player, you can view it at standard DVD resolution or have the player upscale the DVD playback signal to match 720p/1080i and, in some cases, 1080p mode that will be a better match for viewing on an HDTV.
With respect to standard CDs, most Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD players will play standard CDs/CD-R/RW discs. However, there are some exceptions to this, most notably on first generation models from Sony and Pioneer, as well as the now-discontinued BH100 Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player from LG. If you desire CD compatibility, make sure you read the specifications or features brochure of the unit you are considering, to confirm this.
