The only thing certain in the current format debate is that the consumer isn't biting on what the industry and studios hoped they would, and in so doing, make HD-DVD or Blu-ray a clear winner. Add a possible Total HD format to the mix, and this becomes a three-ring circus competing for potentially 'normal' customers that are just as confused (or more so) at this point.
While CDFreaks posts news aplenty regarding this topic, one novelty in this article is mentioning how certain consumers might avoid certain computer purchases, since a certain computer might favor one format over another from the burner bundled with it. Since the price of buying some kind of HD TV must be involved, here's a thought that might have escaped some people's (especially the industry and the studio's) attention: will the average consumers in families even consider a high-definition format, since their children will tend to mistreat and abuse current generation DVDs? There is a possibility some children might consider the DVD a 'coaster' for setting a drink on, or think it's a small frisbee (something that was mentioned happened a lot with the introduction of the first music CDs). Granted, while this is more a humorous and limited possibility, consumers (and especially families) on a budget aren't likely to 'spring' for the HD equipment--much less one of the high definition DVDs because of the potentially greater replacement cost if little Bobby or Susie decides it's 'playtime' with the DVD. Furthermore, consider the fact that at least to some measurable degree that current generation DVDs can be backed up by just a moderately informed computer user. This means those users benefit by being able to readily make very low-cost backups of their purchased DVDs--so the replacement would be damaged instead of the master.
While there are some indications HD-DVD might take some kind of lead, there is also speculation IPTV might make the HD-DVD and Blu-ray format battle moot. Either way, there is currently no clear answer to this struggle--except to remain patient if you want to play it safe.
