For those of you who dare to doubt the power of the One Ring… er, HDTV, check out this blogger's in-depth comparison of DVD (top) and HD (bottom) picture quality. Putting specific frames side by side, he showed that in the high-definition version of the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the maps are sharper, the backgrounds are clearer, and that each of Gandalf's gray (or is that white?) hairs is more distinguishable from the others. He's taken the screenshots and sized them in a way that sets them up for a fair comparison, showing the DVD shots resized match the HD shots, and the reverse, both with definitive results. Looks like you may have to replace that DVD collection after all.

HD may be noticeably superior to DVD, but for those who are opting not to buy a 720p/1080i-capable screen in favor of a 1080p set, this juxtaposition indicates that it may not be worth the bother. For a primer on high-definition line comparisons, check out our handy decrypter. — S.E. Kramer

Crazy Talk, via Geekologie