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January 30, 2008

Dear CNET members,
Wow, I didn't know the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray ended already. OK, it's not really over yet, but with the recent announcement of Warner Bros. dropping the HD DVD format entirely (by the end of May 2008) and exclusively going to the Blu-ray format has to hurt big time! And after reading things like "HD DVD's ship is sinking fast," "HD DVD: Buy, sell, or hold?," and this "Sales of HD DVD players plunge after Warner move"... Even as a person who has absolutely no stake or side in either of the format camps--I'll admit it looks mighty grave for HD DVD. But heck, it's not really over until the fat lady sings, right? (Wait, what's that I hear faintly in the background... ;-))

So given Warner Bros.' announcement, which leaves HD DVD with only 2 studios (Paramount and Universal) supporting them, do you think there's any chance HD DVD will survive? Sure, Toshiba has slashed prices on their entry-level HD DVD players, but is this their last attempt at a comeback--but what good is player when your many of your favorite high def flicks are in the other party's format? Well, the good news is that even if you own a HD DVD player and the format does fold, you can still always use your HD DVD player as an upscaling player, right?

In our latest Screening Room discussion, we asked our members whether you think HD DVD will make it through the summer? And is now the time to go Blu-ray, or should buyers still wait? From the lips of HD DVD fans to the folks who are doing the wait and see game--read what they have to say. And when you're done reading, let loose and chime in with your two cents. Bottom line is, will HD DVD survive this latest round of bad news? And when you're done speaking up--weigh in on this week's poll to feel out what our readers believe. Thanks all!

Cheers!
Lee Koo
Manager, CNET community

Got suggestions? Send us an e-mail:
messageboards@cnet.com

This week's hot topic:

Will HD DVD make
it to July?
After hearing the announcements of Warner Bros. studios moving to the Blu-ray format exclusively, we ask our members if HD DVD will still be around for the summer? Some of our member quickly dropped their remotes and chimed in to say:

"Of course ... content still there."
"It most certainly will. You seem to forget that Bee Movie, American Gangster, The Jack Ryan trilogy, Transformers, Atonement, and a number of other high-profile titles won't be available on Blu-ray and only are on HD DVD exclusively. Combine that with the aggressive price points for HD DVD players now under $150 entry level..." (Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member DSaint

"Yes, but on its last legs..."
"I have a feeling Paramount will probably go neutral soon, and by May at the very latest. This would mean by June you may only have one studio exclusively supporting it, but there's also the chance that there will be none. Either way, I believe HD DVD will "make it" to the end of the year..."(Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member bplewis24

"July 08, yes, but July 09, NO"
"UNLESS Warner or other studios flip-flop once again, HD-DVD will die a slow and agonizing death. It will limp along through the year based on sales of cheap players. The only thing I think that could save it would be if the studios slashed prices on the HD DVDs themselves and were then able to amass huge quantities of sales such that two or more studios would..." (Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member mr.reality

"Of course it will! No doubt"
"HD-DVD players cost about $123 online now; for the price of one Blu-ray player, a person can get 3 HD players. For the living room, den, and bedroom. Plus dual discs make having all-HD players unneccessary as buying Blu-ray discs do. Money talks; 0.9% market share of all DVDs sold so far including Blu-ray is no way a determining factor on which format will survive..." (Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member AnthonyNYC

"HD DVD is still be around - just not as strong"
"The Warner mess hurts HD DVD, but it is still doing OK. There are big exclusives like Beowulf and Bee Movie on the way, and the hardware prices are hard to beat. HD DVD owners like me will still be enjoying HD DVD in July and beyond--as long as they put out good new content, we will buy it..." (Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member BrodieB

"HD and Blu-ray can shove it"
"After being burned by Toshiba and HD, I for sure won't buy Blu-ray; they can both shove it where the sun don't shine. People are better off downloading HD movies or just subscribe with HD service with cable or DirecTV or Dish; I got burnt for about five hundred bucks on my HD-A2 plus the movies i bought. Blu-ray can take a hike; I won't ever buy Toshiba or Sony again, and I hope both their sales take a beating all across the board..." (Read more)

--Submitted by: CNET member nailpounder

Speak up!
With Warner turning Blu and some recent troubling data on HD DVD hardware sales, things are looking pretty grim for HD DVD. Will HD DVD still be around this summer? And is now the time to go Blu, or should buyers still wait? Sound off!

What do you think?

CNET HD DVD and Blu-ray resources:

• CNET's quick guide: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray

• Top HD DVD and Blu-ray players

• Latest HD DVD or Blu-ray news

• Home audio and video forum

News.com hot discussions

• Microsoft makes last-gasp OOXML push
Read about it | Comment on it

• Perspective: Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: I don't care who wins!
Read about it | Comment on it

• iPhone unlocking explodes despite Apple's countermeasures
Read about it | Comment on it

• Police Blotter: Breathalyzer code must be disclosed
Read about it | Comment on it

• In-flight Internet: Grounded for life?
Read about it | Comment on it

• Report: iPhones piling up at
AT&T stores
Read about it | Comment on it

Weigh in on this week's poll:

In your opinion, do you think HD DVD has a chance of surviving?
(Please click on button to vote)

Yes. (Please tell us why.)

No. (Please tell us why.)

Maybe. (Please explain.)

I really don't give a crap! (Please explain.)

Vote and discuss it here!

Last week's poll results
Why did you get your first iPod?

View last week's results

CNET blogs
News, reviews, and opinions from CNET's editors and selected experts... Check them out and post your thoughts on them.

•	The SNES is the greatest console of all time Check it out \| Comment on it
•	Forget the iPod. MP3 players for the Long Tail. Check it out \| Comment on it
•	Give one laptop, get one sooner or later Check it out \| Comment on it
•	Uninstall like a pro with Revo Check it out \| Comment on it
•	Engineer unlocks Wii's hidden potential Check it out \| Comment on it
•	Samsung gives DVD player a makeover Check it out \| Comment on it
•	New CMOS sensors catching on in cameras Check it out \| Comment on it

Hot products
Along with discussing HD DVD and its fate, CNET members had plenty of new tech products to talk about this week.

Nikon Coolpix P5100
CNET member Mattman66 says:
"At first blush, this camera appeared to me to be hopelessly complicated. Nevertheless, I told myself that if this was the posture I wanted to assume, I should have purchased a camera with fewer features. I decided this camera was not smarter than I was but it's been two weeks and the jury is still out. The camera has a wealth of features which I will not attempt to critique..." (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

Samsung YP-P2 (8GB, black)
CNET member afakirani says:
"Already I can pinpoint a few problems with the player and some great advantages. I'll begin with the cons and move on the pros of the device. The software that's provided with the device is slow and not very user-friendly. Moreover, there is very little you can do in the way of options or..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

Sony KDL-46XBR4
CNET member bplewis24 says:
"Sharpness/Picture Detail-Sonys are typically second-to-none in this department, and this TV did not disappoint. Having a friend who owned a Samsung 71 allowed comparisons to be made, and while the difference was slight, my XBR4 appeared to be sharper and more detailed. HDTV looks great, with ESPNs Monday Night Football or Discovery being great material to test detail and sharpness with. SDTV from Comcast Cable looks significantly..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

This week on CNET
Ask the Editors Live chat event!
Who would make the best tech president?
Our next upcoming Ask the Editors Live chat begins at 11 a.m. Pacific Time (2 p.m. Eastern), Thursday, January 31. Our special host will be CNET News.com chief political correspondent, Declan McCullagh, who will be here to discuss, debate, and answer questions about technology, politics, and the 2008 presidential election. The topic can range from: Which candidate is the most tech-friendly? Who will protect online liberty the best? to how much does any of this matter when candidates are talking about Iraq, taxes, and healthcare instead? So get your questions ready, and join us for this live event! Join us here on Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. Pacific

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