I respect this forum alot in that everyone seems rather objective in thier feedback and advice. So I pose this question to my fellow outlaws. I am on the fence about which to buy, hddvd or bluray. I'm leaning towards hddvd for a few reasons. 1. cost. 2. audio and video quality are the same. 3. Hddvd has more robust features which bluray is still trying to work out. 4. With hddvd's triple layer disc, storage is a moot point. Based on these points why would I spend more for bluray. I'm looking for an objective answer. Any help from current hddvd and bluray users would help.

HD-DVD's triple layer discs will make storage a moot point only if older players are proven to work with such discs - I haven't heard anything definitive either way.

Cost of hardware is finally starting to become less of an issue. The disparity that reached its height with the HD-A2 blow-out at Wal-Mart last month has diminished, as there are now two BD players retailing for $299 (the Samsung 1400 and Sony S300) and HD-DVD players are once again starting around $199 (and closer to $299 for players with multichannel analog outputs). Also, despite the lower manufacturing cost for HD-DVD discs, software for the two formats remains very similarly priced. The tendency for HD-DVD's to be released as "combo" discs actually puts HD-DVD at a disadvantage, as those discs (which are HD-DVD on one side and standard DVD on the other) are more expensive.

There's one factor that should probably be added into the mix: software options. With Warner, you can pick either format and miss little or nothing (Matrix isn't on BD yet, but will be next year I believe - typically Warner is releasing everything in both formats). Otherwise, though, you will be locked out of several studios by picking one format. Universal is solidly in the HD-DVD camp with Paramount HD-DVD exclusive for at least another year or so, whereas Sony, MGM, and Disney are firmly Blu-ray (something that is pretty much guaranteed to remain true for at least Sony and MGM due to Sony's stake in BD). How this issue affects you is an entirely personal decision.

I will explain my logic for choosing Blu Ray.

1) Price for players finally in range for average Joe ($300).

2) My kids already have a PS3 so movie bought can be played on both upstairs and basement systems.

3) Sony moved alot of PS3 systems this year. This should help to drive more volume for Blu Ray. In turn driving disc prices down. Just bought 6 Blu ray discs at an average cost of $22 each. Closer to DVD range than the initial $35 range these disks came in.

Truth is, I really doubt in the long run that one format will win over the other. However, the cost of a dual format players today is still too high. My personal hope is to see a 50/50 split in demand until dual format players become the norm. In 12 to 18 months, most if not all of the nuetral manufactures will have dual players in the $300 price point (with continuing downward trend). When we get there, I think the format dicussion will be over for everyone except Sony and Toshiba.

The way I see it, the ongoing competition between both formats will be the single dominant force to aggressively bring down prices. Both for players and discs.

Thanks for the input guys. I wish they would have unified when they had the chance. I'm guessing no matter what I go with within a couple of years combo players will be cheap enough that any decision I come to won't matter. But admittingly, I haven't followed the war as closely as I should. I didn't realize bluray had come down so much in cost. And seems to have cheaper content.

Adrian, that's a really excellent and succinctly worded point I had not considered before.

Vive la Difference! At least, until I'm ready to buy

It's a very good point - the war has driven down hardware prices faster than would have happened without a war, particularly for the Blu-ray hardware (which probably wouldn't have even come to market until late this year if it weren't for the need to compete with HD-DVD).

The flip side is going to be how the competing formats affect studios and stores from a software standpoint. If studios support both formats (like Warner is), will stores stock multiple versions of a title (HD-DVD, Blu-ray, and DVD)? Look at Warner right now - logistics have got to be an issue for them at this point with all those extra SKU's to deal with, and you get things like the Harry Potter Blu-ray gift boxes that got shipped with HD-DVD's of the fourth disc (Goblet of Fire) rather than the Blu-rays that should have gone in there. Of course, if Warner picks a side (as is rumored may happen in 2008) you're going to see movies appear on one format or the other with no "software neutrality." That's fine for stores who don't have to stock as many different copies of a single title and for those of us who are neutral at this point (with either neither formats represented, or with both), but at some point the studios ought to ask why two formats need to exist - and if they were to switch to a single format industry wide, would they see greater profits. Every time I try to work through the possible futures for this format war, I get tangled up in weird logic puzzles like this and re-affirm my belief that it's all a big mess.