I think the problem here is still to do with disc prices. Mostly when it comes to older catalogue releases rather than new titles.

In Australia, you can go into a shop and find the BD of an older movie for around AU$38. Look at the DVD section and you can find the same movie (sometimes with better and more special features) for AU$15.

That's a MASSIVE difference and one that will have most people choosing the DVD.

I'll never quite understand why people think just because BD will be the winner that HD-DVD will suddenly disappear forever. Those of us who are old enough can remember that Beta had a niche market for years after VHS was the clear king.

The same will happen here. As long as there are titles that BD don't have or titles where HD-DVD has preferred extras (funny you should have the 300 picture there, as the HD-DVD version is the ONLY one with the PIP commentary), then HD-DVD will have a cult following.

Will it die? Certainly. But it'll have a following for a fair while yet.

"* 1080p24 support (film is native 24 fps, no more 3:2 pulldown)"

For me, THAT is the most important feature. But it's also worth noting that you need a display that's capable of showing 1080p/24 and right now they are still pretty thin on the ground.