CNET Community Hot Topics weekly newsletter
August 22, 2007
Dear CNET members,
Just when some of us thought the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray boxing match was nearing an end, we're off on another round! This time both camps are taking swings at each other in full force. News of Paramount and DreamWorks dropping the Blu-ray format to go HD DVD exclusively were met by the Blu-ray camp firing right back with news of aggressive title releases, taking this format war to another level. After learning of this news, fans of both formats and everyone in between were either happy or downright ticked off, but they're all right here in blog discussions sounding off with their opinions. For me, I'm amused by it all and still sitting on the format fence (even though my bottom is starting to hurt and I'm itching to jump). But as I've learned, patience during these times is in my best interest, as my wallet would agree! So on with the format war, because I love a good fight! I think regardless of who wins, once the dust settles and the war is over, the price will be just right for me to benefit.

Now that you've read the big announcements thanks to CNET editor David Carnoy's Crave blogs, where does that leave you? Are you an HD DVD fan smiling from ear to ear about Paramount's and DreamWorks' announcements, or are you a Blu-ray fan feeling betrayed? Are you excited to see this news, disturbed by it, or on the fence like me? What does it mean for consumers? When do you predict this war will be over with? How will this benefit us? Whatever your favorite format, we want to know how you feel about the news and where you think it is taking this war. So speak up and be sure to read your fellow members' comments ( Paramount and DreamWorks give HD DVD a boost and Blu-ray camp fires back at latest HD DVD announcements) and respond to them, as I'm sure they want to hear what you have to say about their opinions. Have fun! I just can't wait to see what's next on the agenda for both these camps!
Cheers!
Lee Koo
Manager, CNET community

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This week's hot topic:
HD DVD and Blu-ray format wars
The format war between the HD DVD and Blu-ray camps rages on, with Paramount choosing to drop the Blu-ray format to go HD DVD exclusively! With this big news, people were either ecstatic or just downright mad. Yet some people were just sitting on the side lines watching it like it was a great boxing match. The opinions are all over the map, and here are just a few glimpses into what our members had to say about the newest announcements over the format wars.

"Cheaper players--all that matters!!!!"
"The format with CHEAP players will win, period. There are a lot of contrived and invented arguments why people do or should choose either BRD or HD DVD. But the real problem is not market confusion, refusal to adopt a new format, or any of that. All of the reasons why people DON'T buy either HD..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member natejohnstone
"Thanks for prolonging this idiotic war..."
"And yet another idiotic decision to add to consumer's confusion and have them sit longer on the fence. I'm sorry, but Microsoft and Sony fanboy rants aside, all this really does is just recreate the DVD-Audio/SACD stupidity from a while back and basically kills the prospect of the standard DVD format going..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member RRosal
"Warner Bros will go exclusive next!"
"Ha, ha. Just kidding. I have both players, so I'm covered either way but... This war was "far" from being on the "verge" of ending. So, in my opinion this move isn't really delaying things all that much. To think otherwise, 'seems' rather shortsighted. From another..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member softwiz
"This is different than what Disney
and Fox did"
"Disney and fox picked their sides early on in the battle as did Universal; however, Warner and Paramount started off exclusive, and switched to dual format. This was not a problem because they expanded their support to include a format that they didn't before. The..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member extirpator
"Killing it for everyone"
"The sheer arrogance of this format battle has already cost the studios millions of dollars. They may just kill both formats simultaneously. If they had bothered to shelve their egos, they could have made an effective choice that would benefit everyone. Consumers may..." (Read more)
--Submitted by: CNET member ryty76
Speak up!
Now it's your turn to speak up! What do you think of big announcement from Paramount and DreamWorks going exclusively to HD DVD? Are you jumping for joy, or are you downright upset over it? Maybe you're on the fence over the formats and just don't care. Do you think these format wars benefit us at all? If so, tell us why. We'd love to hear your opinions, so get your post in and tell us, tell all what you think of it.
CNET HD DVD and Blu-ray resources:
• Blu-ray and HD DVD guide
  From CNET.com

• Blu-ray players reviews
  From CNET Reviews

• HD DVD players reviews
  From CNET Reviews

• Latest news on the HD format wars
  From CNET News.com

• Home audio & video forum
  From CNET forums

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Weigh in on this week's poll:
If you had one choice now, which format would you pick?
(Please click on button to vote)

 Blu-ray (What are your reasons?)
 HD DVD (What are your reasons?)
Last week's poll results 
What would make you want to switch cellular carriers?

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


Hot products
Along with discussing HD format wars, CNET members had plenty of new tech products to talk about this week.

Shure SE530 Sound
Isolating Earphones
CNET member waswhatwer says:
"I decided to buy some ridiculously expensive earphones about a year ago because I travel a lot and work in a loud office. I tried a friend's top-of-the-line Etymotics and I also grudgingly tried a friend's Quietcomfort Bose headphones (I already decided I'm not hauling around those giant things). The Etymotics were quite nice, but I ended up trying the SE530's at CES a couple of months ago and was blown away. I bought them last week and couldn't be happier with them. Absolutely crystal clear in the high and midrange with an enveloping bass..." (read more)
See all user opinions | Compare prices

Mio C520 Navigation Receiver
CNET member navuser1 says:
"The MIO unit is great for the price, BUT it has several issues that must be fixed. See below. I have sent these issues to Mio and iGO (SW supplier to MIO). Mio has not responded. iGo has responded and claims they will look at the issues for an upcoming software release in summer..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

Creative Zen Stone Plus
(2GB, black)
CNET member Lawryll says:
"I purchased this player for my wife with the wristband option. The size is perfect and all we did was plug it into the computer and it appeared as a hard drive, so copying WMA or MP3 files was an absolute snap. There was no confusion as to what is being synched...you are in complete control. This is definitely a welcome change from my Zune which requires it's sometimes..." (read more)
Read all user opinions | Compare prices

This week on CNET 
Ask the Editor Live!
Topic: Freeware, DRM, and torrents
Our next upcoming Ask the Editors Live chat begins at 11 a.m. Pacific Time (2 p.m. Eastern), Thursday, August 23rd. Our host will be CNET Download.com associate editor, Seth Rosenblatt, who will be answering your questions on freeware, DRM, torrents, and more. Get your questions ready and don't miss out! Join us here!
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