There's a sense this lacks the full range of clarity provided by the format. In a direct comparison to the SD-DVD version however, there's a noticeable increase particularly during close ups. By the end of the battle, the soldiers truly look beaten and weathered, an aspect of the film easily appreciated thanks to the added resolution. 
Whereas the SD disc came loaded with a nicely composed 5.1 mix, this is a showcase disc for audio. A Dolby Digital Plus and DTS 6.1 mix both perform admirably. The surround speakers never get a moment's rest once the guns begin firing. The range exhibited is unmatched by any DVD. Firefights off in the distance come through with untouchable quality just as positional dialogue does. You can hear radio operators making calls while the main characters discuss other strategies.
Bass is appropriately earth shaking, especially as planes begin a bombing run. Grenades compensate when aircraft is grounded. This can easily be considered the best war movie audio mix ever crafted for home viewing and few could debate this point. 
Extras remain slim, carrying over from the 2002 SD-DVD. Getting it Right is a behind-the-scenes look at the film and the care taken for authenticity. Actual footage taken on battlefields and interviews with the real life Lieutenant Moore make this a fascinating piece when you have around 25 minutes to spare. A solo commentary by director Wallace could have used some extra bodies to fill it in with additional information. Finally, ten deleted scenes (21:34 total) and some trailers for other Paramount features on HD-DVD mark the end of the extras. 
Those owning the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player should note the DTS audio is inaccessible. The same goes for Dolby Plus, which will come through as basic 5.1, though with a definite quality increase. The new audio formats require a HDMI connection to handle the added bandwidth of uncompressed audio, and the 360 does not have this ability.
Article comments
1 - Deano
I highly recommend the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" by Harold Moore (the commander in the battle) and Joseph Galloway (the reporter with the troops). It is an excellent, well written and highly involved account of the Battle of Ia Drang.
Be advised, the movie only tells the account of the battle at the landing site - three days later another battalion was cut to pieces in an ambush just two miles away. The movie doesn't touch on that incident at all.