Review: 300 HD DVD

Well, well,well... the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle is raging. My wife recently bought me the XBOX 360 HD DVD player. It was for xmas, but she couldn't wait any longer. Since I already have an XBOX 360, and the price of the Blu-ray players is ridiculous, I decided I wanted the "Look and Sound of Perfect". Although the player came with King Kong, and a rebate for 5 free HD DVDs, we went a bought 300 almost immediatly.

The HD DVD is a combo disc that includes all of the extras, as well as the regular DVD version. I am not quite sure why they did this, since after watching in HD, I would never even play the second side of the disc. Unfortunately there known issues with HD DVD players and combo discs which you read about online. The first pass with the DVD didnt go so well. The disc would not work, but after an exchange at Best Buy, the problem seems to be resolved.

This is a visually stunning movie. It is difficult at times to tell what is computer generated, but the costumes, sets, and weapons are real. The backgrounds are highly detailed and almost hyper-realistic. One complaint is that most of the blood is CG and disappears before hitting the ground. The HD version makes this easier to see, but maybe the action is so intense it made it impossible to add real time? Below are a couple shots from the HD DVD.

I watched the DVD in Dolby DTS. The sounds are crystal clear, highly accurate, and overwhelming at times. The music is perfectly placed to get the most emotional reactions from you. I have the soundtrack and often listen to a couple of the themes from the movie.

Final Summary:
This is a must own DVD. I cannot imagine watching it in any other format then HD, whether it be HD DVD or Blu-ray. I noticed that the DVD seems to be a little bit grainy I'm just not sure if its intended or not.

Survey Says: 5 outta 5 devil horns