We had a hunch that VUDU was readying Blu-ray quality rentals, and sure enough, the company has just got official with its HDX format. Essentially, HDX is a new tier of video quality for the on-demand rental service. VUDU will be delivering the content in 1080p24 via its patent pending TruFilm compression technology, which is reportedly "unrivaled" in the home content delivery biz. In our talks with the outfit, it clearly spent some serious time mastering the delivery process here, but all this quality comes at a cost. Not monetary, mind you -- the actual HDX rental fees will be the same as current HD rentals -- but we're talking time. On most broadband connections, you'll be waiting three to four hours before the experience begins, though the ability to order an HDX film online (while you're at work, for instance) helps alleviate that pain somewhat. Also of note, HDX flicks will only be available for rental initially, though hopes are that a purchase option will show up in due time. 50 HDX films are on tap today -- dig in and see what you think. Full release is after the break.

While rumors have been flowing hot and heavy about VUDU's possible demise, it seems the company has other plans in mind. We've received word that select beta team members are now being asked to try out new downloads that are intended to rival Blu-ray quality. Dubbed HDX movies, these ultra-high-def flicks are currently being watched by folks willing to wait a number of hours (two to three) for a film to start, but there's no guarantee that we'll ever see this hit the masses. Sure, we totally dig the idea of BD-quality content on-demand, but we could almost scoot down to Blockbuster, rent a bona fide Blu-ray Disc, watch, and return it before a so-called HDX title even begins.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Even though this is only "HD Trailer Tuesday's" third run since we started it back up, we can honestly say it is going to be hard for any other week to beat the quality of the three high-def trailers Apple added this week. First, Renaissance shows that high-def isn't all about bright colors and flashy camera shots. This trailer is in all black and white, but it looks stunning in high-def. Simply, breathtaking. Here is hoping that this film goes right to one of the high-def media formats. The second flick, Employee of the Month, enlists an all-star cast of comedy giants, including Dane Cook, Efren Ramirez (Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite), Tim Bagley, Dax Shepard, and Andy Dick. Plus, the whole plot revolves around Jessica Simpson and when we mean revolves, we are implying that she is involved but it doesn't appear that she 'acts' that much. The last trailer exhibits everything high-def has to offer. The Black Dahlia looks like one of those movies that is destined to go right to the top of all the award banquets. Take the time today and watch all three of these high-def trailers. It will be worth it.

We're not sure how to take this. Just as Blu-ray launches, with its own HD DVD players having already been on store shelves for some time, now Toshiba wants to hold out the olive branch again. Even as Blu-ray struggles with underwhelming launch titles and delays, they still hold the trump card of higher capacity, possibly higher burning speed, and more movie studio support. Maybe Toshiba sees this as the best time to cut a deal, maybe not. We already have reports that they are spending a lot of money to make sure HD DVD gains acceptance, but what is the long term strategy?

While the guys playing in the World Cup are professionals, it seems the stateside broadcasters are still very much amateurs when it comes to displaying the beautiful game. I've caught a couple games since the tournament started, and while the quality of the broadcast is excellent. You can see everything very clearly and the sport is more fun to watch in widescreen, as you can see the positioning of the players better. While it is almost enough to wipe the nasty taste of the Winter Olympics debacle from my mouth, and doesn't have the HDTV compression problems cited in Korea, there are still some issues to be worked out.

That's the problem cable providers are facing, as we keep pushing for more channels and capacity keeps...staying the same. USA Today had a nice writeup today concerning the problems faced as they try to add more channels and features to compete with satellite television providers, and a couple different ways they can solve them. Unfortunately for CableCard DVR and television users, one of the proposed solutions "switched digital" would make their cards useless and force them into using a digital cable box. As TV works now, every channel is sent to you all the time, the proposed solution changes things so that you are only sent the channel you are currently watching. Time Warner has implemented the technology in a few areas already, while Cox and Cablevision are looking into it. The other workaround means stripping channels from analog cable packages, and replacing them with high definition channels.

This conundrum may explain the sudden disappearance of CableCard, as manufacturers wait for the 2.0 standard instead of throwing in a feature that may soon be obsolete anyway.

I think we've heard this before, but in case you missed it the first time around, word on the street is that high-def gaming will be the primary driver for HDTV growth. At this point there's so much unclear in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war, so high-def gaming has to have some impact. I'd add increased high-def programming options as a key driver and I'd even go out on a limb and add increased Windows Media Center PC sales to the list.

What are we missing? What other drivers are forcing the move to HDTV?