Even without a format war, an HD-DVD format will be a more difficult sell than DVD was a few years ago. DVD offered so much more than VHS: improved picture quality, improved audio quality, true 5.1 surround, bonus features, and even the freedom of a disc format in lieu of tape (no more "be kind - rewind" to worry about). HD-DVD will offer basically just better picture quality when compared to DVD, and then only for those people with HDTV's (which is certainly a growing population, but still limited). Early adopters will in general be thrilled to get their hands on an optical disc HD format, but even many of them are going to be wary in light of the format war that at this point appears unavoidable. Unless there's a clear winner in the format war by the time prices come down from the initial format launch levels and the library of titles has grown to a respectable level, I'm worried that both formats may have a much harder time than either of them deserves when it comes to getting any significant market penetration. With the industry muscle behind them, I don't think we'll see a repeat of LaserDisc - at least one format probably survive and eventually achieve widespread adoption, but it may not happen for years.