But, but. But. I'm not done with DVD.

Both HD DVD or Blue Ray are hack jobs, with incomplete operating systems. Blue Rays system is so horrible that it doesn't even work for a lot of the disks produced and the OS need patches. Some of the players (both systems) will never let us use the full functionality on disks. And some disks will never fully work.

Both systems have nothing to do with getting a better product to the customer, they are both about trying to stop people from copying their DVD for any purpose. It's controlling how we manage our collections and trying to stop us making back-ups.

I think we are all tired of being told to run out and buy that new product that really isn't that special. They are trying to steer us towards one product or the other, with fear mongering that the other will become the next Batemax. And the truth is, there is nothing to stop both camps loosing. We could all be left owning hardware and disks that are "Has been technology".

How well I remember the wars between Beta Max and VHS. So far, I have resisted anything related to high def until things shake out. I have see some DVD RWs out there that are dual format (HD and Blu-Ray) and rather pricey. I'll just cool my heels and wait. coastie65

---

eMachines T5212.... Intel Pentium D 945 3.4Ghz..... evga 8600 GT 256 Mb PCI-E video card..... Realtec HD audio......2 Gb 533 Mhz DDR2 memory..... Lite on CD RW; DVD +R / RW DL optical drive...... Windows XP MCE 2005....... Antec Basiq 500w PSU......200 Gb PATA HDD

It Over, it all over...now it's time to say goodbye!

The timing of Warner's announcement is quite questionable and disappointing - did someone flip a coin before CES to make this decision, or did they bank on 100,000's of HD DVD players and discs to be given as Christmas gifts, opened and enjoyed for all of one week before sending a message to those people that they made the wrong decision, they get to buy those movies again in Blu-Ray when their current/obsolete player craps out in three years.

I am a big DVD renter from Netfilx and have had a large screen HDTV for almost 3 years. I am not unhappy with standrard DVD played at 480P in my HD TV. While not as good as HD it is not bad either. I certainly can afford an HD-DVD or BlueRay player. But until an official winner, HD or Blu, is declaired, I am going to sit this out and stick with standard 480 DVD's. The industry is stupid thinking the consumers are dumb enough to by these machines until there is only one format.