The chaps over at PC Perspective take a look at both HD-DVD and Blu-ray can and do function on the PC in today's market. Is the time right to introduce a home theater PC (HTPC) into your home when you see that the set-top box (STB) Blu-ray player from Samsung is retailing at $999? Can the PC hardware from CPU and GPU manufacturer's compare with the same visual quality and user experience that the Toshiba and Sony STBs can offer?

My experiences with NVIDIA's PureVideo HD technology have been nothing but positive and I am continue to be impressed by NVIDIA's goal to make HD video and movies easily understandable and accessible to users looking to enter the market. Their GPUs have more than enough power to aid in the decoding process and off-load the CPU to free it up for other tasks, while maintaining great image quality in all of our viewing. Their logo process is a step in the right direction as it attempts to give users an easy to use resource in picking or building their own HD-DVD or Blu-ray ready system for their desktop or HTPC. The prices and availability of some other components like optical drives and playback software are really what is holding us back now, but hopefully those will be addressed by the beginning of the new year and the world of high-definition video can expand further into the home and office.