I think that was the point other people were trying to make: Most folks don't care about freckles and blades of grass...that stuff doesn't take away or add to the content, the stories in the movies and TV programs. So most people don't really see the need for that level of definition at that cost.

Dude, we're talking middle America during a recession...$400 HDM hardware for the average family is not what I'd call priority. Like I said, I'm talking about those people, families or couples that are not interested in gaming (me and most of my friends)...

Seems niche to me...

Most people I know want a standard simple player where they can pop in a disc and grab a remote (Not a game controller). And they don't wanna spend Over $350 to do it...When I can see Sony or other manufacturers dropping priced to the $200 range, I may consider getting in with Bluray.

Dude, we're talking middle America during a recession...$400 HDM hardware for the average family is not what I'd call priority. Like I said, I'm talking about those people, families or couples that are not interested in gaming (me and most of my friends)...

Seems niche to me...

Most people I know want a standard simple player where they can pop in a disc and grab a remote (Not a game controller). And they don't wanna spend Over $350 to do it...When I can see Sony or other manufacturers dropping priced to the $200 range, I may consider getting in with Bluray.

Blu-Ray winning pretty much guarantees that Physical HD Media will remain niche for a lot longer. The best, most compatible player for all Blu discs is not only over $400, but it's also a video game console. My mother has a big HDTV in her home and would balk at this idea, settling in on the more affordable and simplistic upconverting DVD player.

I finally jumped on the HD DVD wagon during the holidays when I saw that I could get the A30 for $200 with 10 free movies. That's a consumer friendly deal.

Now it looks like HDM will be exclusively for gamers that need more use out of their PS3 or tech-hobbyist that have extra money to burn. Not for the average working-class guy that just financed a big screen HDTV from Best Buy.

Blu-Ray winning pretty much guarantees that Physical HD Media will remain niche for a lot longer. The best, most compatible player for all Blu discs is not only over $400, but it's also a video game console. My mother has a big HDTV in her home and would balk at this idea, settling in on the more affordable and simplistic upconverting DVD player.

I finally jumped on the HD DVD wagon during the holidays when I saw that I could get the A30 for $200 with 10 free movies. That's a consumer friendly deal.

Now it looks like HDM will be exclusively for gamers that need more use out of their PS3 or tech-hobbyist that have extra money to burn. Not for the average working-class guy that just financed a big screen HDTV from Best Buy.

81% and 19% of 4% of the DVD buying market...

Sigh...

Arguing over Peanuts.

That actually made me laugh out loud...

Sigh...

Man, I only have two friends that actually care about HDM (One has a PS#, the other a HD DVD player). My other friends either don't have HD sets due to pricing or apathy, or they HAVE an HD set but "don't see the difference" enough to justify the cost of stepping into HDM when play "good looking" upconverted DVDs...

I'm a film/tv editor so I try to school them but when they don't have either the funds or interest, what else can you do?

I don't care about choosing the format that's getting the spanking lately, I'm more upset that they're still not educating the public to HDM.

But then again we are talking about the general public...Even after DVD took over, it took years for people to understand what "Widescreen" and that the black bars on their TV wasn't their movies being "cut off"...

Who Cares? Why aren't there more Engadget posts or discussions about Upconverting DVD players being the main reason HDM hasn't hit home with the public more and how can we fight that battle...?

BluRay vs HDDVD is like arguing about which person needs to be eliminated from American Gladiators, never mind the fact that HARDLY ANYONE IS EVEN WATCHING TO BEGIN WITH!

lol...

You're right about this being an impartial objective news site, it ain't that...

As far as Toshiba is concerned, for a company with a better, more affordable product, you'd think they'd at least be able to hire a better PR firm to write up press releases. A company with all that money available to them should be bombarding us with more creative, enticing ads, etc...

I refuse to spend $400 on a Game System just to play movies (not a gamer, sorry), they should be playing off of that in ads and press releases...it may be time for "Coke vs Pepsi" mudslinging at this point. Play off of HD DVD's assets which are price, product, etc

Oh well, even if this is then end, it's not like I chose VHS over DVD. At the end of the day my HD DVD movies are still in high definition...

Is this the nail in the coffin? They can't officially say they give up at this point...

It's like the team that's losing by 30 with on two minutes remaining in the game: They have to at least look like they're still trying until the buzzer finally ends their misery.