HD-DVD manufacturing costs have always been one of HD-DVD's selling points - in fact, that was basically the argument that its backers offered as justification not to unify with Blu-ray early in the format war, since there are very few differences otherwise. Interactivity is another difference, as both formats have (or are still) developing independent systems for that, but really that and the few other functional differences - all of which were developed very close to format launch - are largely just details floating on the surface with the underlying structures sharing a lot in common (video and audio codecs being the really big commonalities, not to mention AACS being used by both with some variations between the two).

Audioholics can be a good source of information, but there are times when I feel that they get a bit sensationalist. This article is a good example. It could really be summed up simply by saying that movie distribution rights often vary in overseas markets, which means that movies handled by exclusive studios (either HD-DVD or Blu-ray exclusive) may appear in other markets on the "other" format. If you don't mind potentially having the interface be in a different language - several of their examples were Spanish releases, with instructions on the order pages explaining how to navigate the menu to find where to turn off the Spanish subtitles - or paying a premium to buy these imports, you might be able to only buy one HD player and have access to a somewhat larger catalog of titles. Presenting it as one format (either format's) "dirty little secret" feels like an effort to make a splash.

Reminds me a bit of the first time I read their "Attack of the Clones" article, which came months after folks around here had become pretty well informed about the two clones of the Model 950 on the market. (Sherbourn and Atlantic Technology both contracted with Eastech to have processors built using the Model 950 platform but using their own faceplates; Fosgate Audionics FAP-T1 came later and made some noticeable changes to the Model 950 platform, including an extra component input and a good-sized LCD monitor on the front.) Their article spent several pages analyzing the similarities in an almost conspiratorial manner and asking which came first. The story in that case was also easily summed up in a few paragraphs.