Farewell HD-DVD

It seems that its all but evident at this point as we await Toshiba's final announcement that they are waving the white flag on HD-DVD. At some point I made a commitment to not get envolved in this format war, yet somehow I did. Sure it was the great deal that I got from Amazon.com and the 8 free HD-DVD's that came as part of that deal that sucked me in, but sucked me in it did. For the longest time after that I swore also that I wouldn't fall into the Blue Ray world and certainly would not get a PS3. This isn't about either so lets fast forward, I got into the Blue Ray world and own a PS3.

Because of the unknown scenario of the format war and the price of HD-DVD's over DVD and lets face it the movies I was buying were on Blue Ray not HD-DVD my collection of High Def movies didn't grow that big. Of course what I did gather up was Planet Earth and of course Transformers!

But what am I left with, besides the disapointment that I HD-DVD is dead I'm left with a pretty good DVD player that plays HD-DVd and upscales regular DVD's. Since my HD-DVD collection isn't that large should the need ever arise to have to replace it I'd realistically have to replace about 4 -5 movies.

In the end its really just too bad, HD-DVD was at least to me the better format over Blue Ray, it was final spec yet updateable if that spec changed, and even combo discs although not my favorite were at least a step toward compromise between DVD and High Def DVD.

Toshiba had a good product and they still do, its why I bought into it. Unfourtunately Sony used alot of money and a game system as a way to win over studios and fake out consumers. Early adoptors of HD DVD may be without a future, but the collections that they have will continue to work. Early adoptors of Blue Ray are not without a future, but will soon find themselves with players that are not compatible, the PS3 not withstanding.

Its almost the irony of this format war. Noone seems to have truly won. Except maybe Sony.

I do have a PS3 now and at this point I enjoy my HD however I can get it, HD-DVD, Blue Ray or cable HD. I'll thank Toshiba for my HD-DVD player and wish them luck, they tried and finally were overcome.

Now where are all those big HD-DVD clearence sales!