War Is Over (If You Want It Or Not)

It's looking more and more like the High Definition DVD Format War may be all-but-over. I've certainly been pulling for Blu-Ray ever since buying my PS/3 over a year ago, but in that time I've only invested in about 4 movies in the new format, for fear of being stuck with a Betamax library in a VHS world. A few recent, high profile business decisions that have favoured Blu-Ray just may have pushed the debate past the tipping point and knocked HD-DVD down for the count. If things continue in this direction then the prospects of me buying Blu-Ray movies and favourite TV shows in the future will go up substantially.

Blu-Ray Vs HD-DVD: Let's Call It A Draw!

Gamespot is reporting that lost sales due to the current DVD Format War by studios that only offer one format or the other will soon mean that everyone will provide both. I'm not 100% sure I buy the logic quoted there (sourced from Screen Digest) but what I really want to know is:

Will we soon get to the point where all DVD players that handle one HD format also handle the other?

Because when that happens - if in fact there isn't a clear cut winner between the two formats - then I really won't care which one I buy, and would in fact probably just opt for the cheaper or more readily-available one on a per-DVD basis. Right now spending money on Blu-Ray DVDs just seems silly.

HD Wars

Maybe I should have used the title The Return of the HD DVD. Or perhaps The HD DVD Strikes Back. Meh.

Both Paramount and DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced their backing of HD DVD, which will entail exclusive use of the HD DVD format. The decision will see movies from Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films available in standard definition DVD and HD DVD, exclusively.

via ars technica

Can someone please explain to me why this format war even matters? Are these decisions being made in dark rooms behind layers of cigarette smoke by crooked execs that are trying to kill off both emerging technologies? Is the DVD industry doing the same thing that the car industry did with the original hybrids, doing their damnedest to kill off any appeal for the majority of consumers?

Here's a very next-next-gen idea for you... maybe we should go formatless and just agree on a codec and distribute content electronically. Or perhaps the industry could go with BOTH and allow the consumer to decide! In reality, how much more would it cost to publish in both formats?

Bah, maybe I should just secretly patent a player that handles both and live off of the royalties. Or maybe HD DVD and Blu-ray will both go the way of the laser disk for a better alternative.