What Types of Connections Do Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players Have?

Question: What Types of Connections Do Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players Have?

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: Blu-ray and HD-DVD players have the same connections as a standard DVD player, which can include Composite, S-Video, and Component video outputs as well as Analog Stereo and Digital Optical and Digital Coaxial Audio outputs. However, two additional outputs include:

1.An HDMI output, which is used to transfer both high definition video and digital audio to a Television or AV receiver that is equipped with an HDMI or DVI-HDCP input via an adapter.

2. A set of 5.1 channel analog outputs that transfers a decoded surround sound signal to AV receivers that have 5.1 direct analog inputs.

In addtition to audio and video connections, all HD-DVD players have Ethernet connections to allow direct firmware update downloads and for accessing web-enabled content.

Ethernet connections on Blu-ray Disc players are optional. However, Ethernet Connections are becoming more of a standard feature as direct firmware downloading is very practical, and wed-enabled content is being provided in conjunction with more disc titles, which require internet connectivity to access.

For a closer look and a more detailed explanation of connections on both Blu-ray and HD-DVD players, check out my Blu-ray Player and HD-DVD Player Photo Illustration Pages

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