Blog From The Bench

I'm an HD-DVD adopter. I admit it. I also admit that sans the exclusive studio support Sony has sewn up, it doesn't look super-rosy for Toshiba's format. Then again, I'm still not entirely sold on the kind of home video revolution we saw with DVD--a truly staggering cultural phenomenon that led to movie collections that eat up more condo square footage than the master bedroom--replicating in the high-definition marketplace.

So, no, I'm not prepared to sound the death-knell for DVD or HD-DVD and welcome our Benevolent Blu-Ray Overlords (I'm still leaning toward digital distribution as the future of home entertainment). But I am a realist, and realistically, Sony's creation is solidly in the lead, though the sub-par performance of the PS3 adds a new angle to the discussion.

With a dearth of must-have games, PS3 owners are undoubtedly propelling the embryonic Blu-Ray market because, let's face it, what else are you going to do with your $600 investment that won't make you feel like you spent $600 simply for Xbox ports and Motorstorm? It will be interesting to see the effects that cheaper, stand-alone Blu-Ray players will have on PS3 sales.

Me, I jumped on board the high-def market because a) thanks to frugal hoarding of Amazon gift cards and Toshiba's reduced price on its entry-level players, I was able to score an HD-A2 for $78 cash money and b) I'm a sucker for new technology I probably don't need.

I'm glad I pulled the trigger as--for the most part--high-def titles look noticeably better than their DVD counterparts. As an added bonus the HD-A2 upconverts standard DVDs beautifully (Apocalypto looked particularly inspiring). So, worst-case scenario, if HD-DVD goes the way of the Whig Party, at least I've got a kick-ass DVD player and Batman Begins in high-definition.

At least that's what I tell myself during those late night cry-sessions.