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Unfortunately, the winner will be decided and we will all realize that this is only a half step towards the next media medium.

HD DVD will win this race because of 4 reasons:

1. Wal-Mart. - Wal-Mart released a statement earlier this month that they are going to back HD DVD media only. Since Wal-Mart accounts for nearly 40% of the National Populations Media sales, it will only be a matter of time before other vendors follow suit. Also, Wal-Mart announced that they will be selling a $200 HD DVD player come Christmas this year.

2. HD. - HD DVD has the letters "HD" in the title. Most people can understand that HD means a better picture. It's not far fetched to say that Blue-ray may seem a bit obtuse in terms of applying tactile meaning to the name.

3. PS3. - Sony Play Station 3's are affordable to only 5% of the population. Where as Microsoft's XBox 360 HD DVD players can be purchased off of ebay for $165 and be hacked to where you don't even need an XBOX 360 to use the player.

4. The Internet. - HD DVD code encryption was hacked a couple of months ago and posted all over the internet for people to start ripping HD DVD titles and sharing them with their friends and fellow hackers. This event will encourage more HD DVD users because they can get the media for free.

But alas, this is all in vain. Unlike the step up from Video Tape to DVD, this is only a half step in media progression. The DVD was a digital revolution. The Media format changed. HD/Blue-ray is like getting a bigger hard drive for your computer. So now you can store more information on a disk thus allowing you to have better quality images and sound, but it's still on a largely obtrusive disk. People are going to get tired of filling up shelf space with bulky discs and their covers. Production Companies are going to realize that they can cut down on the costs of packaging, printing, and shipping by going completely digital with their titles and offering them online only or downloadable via your phone, PDA, etc.

Optical drives will soon be a thing of the past as technology pushes us further into the realm of online media and the obsolete cry of DRM (digital rights management). EMI and Itunes are embarking first into this DRM free world as of May this year. The consumer will pay more for the product, but they can transfer it and save it anywhere they like forever.

HD DVD,... I will bask in the sweet glow of your picture quality, but I will gladly attend your funeral in years to come when all of my XHD movies are stored on hard drives in my home (XHD = Xtremely High Definition... it will be needed for those 107 inch plasma displays).

Rest In Peace HD DVD.

Learn more about this author, J. Eberhardt.
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