The Format Wars Begin

Okay, okay – maybe I spoke too soon. Microsoft has thrown its weight behind HD-DVD. Toshiba announced it is releasing the first players to the American market in March. Many companies are saying they will support both formats. Finally, according to this article, five studios have pledged they will release more than 200 movies in HD-DVD format, and these studios represent more than half the movies ever made. Check out the size of this player:

You have to admit, it’s a beast. But then again, for $800, you’d want something that looks substantial, I suppose. The HD-A1 model will be $500. Of course, as always, those prices are expected to come down once production and demand increase. And, I’d wager, once they start butting heads with Blu-ray players.

Who am I rooting for? Still to early to tell. The nice thing about HD-DVD is that it is truly backwards compatible with DVD drives. But I’d rather back the one that’s cheaper, more reliable and has the least invasive DRM. What I’ve been hearing about Blu-ray’s DRM scares me to death — that it will require an internet connection, you must dial in every time you play a movie to match the disc to your hardware, and if you play a disc that’s not matched to your hardware, it gets disabled. Thanks, Sony. I don’t even have an internet connection at home.