Dear HD DVD: Don’t Throw In The Towel

GearLog Writes,

Dear HD-DVD,

I know things look bad right now. One of your closest and perhaps smartest partners–Warner Home Video–has walked away from you. You’re reaction has been strangely muted and now I hear you’ve canceled a CES press conference. Not good, HD-DVD.

I don’t think the war is over, but I understand why things look grim. If you want to overcome, you need to understand. Let’s take a moment to look at why Warner Home Video turned its back on you, shall we?

The PS3 Effect

Even if Sony’s PS3 (which comes with a built-in Blu-ray player) was dubbed a stinker, sales of the device are now bearing fruit. Parents who caved and bought these consoles in the last six months decided they wanted something out of the deal. I’ve actually seen these people show up at PC Richards querulously asking, "Do you carry Blu-ray disks?"

Ah HD-DVD, if only the Xbox 360 (or better yet, the Wii) had shipped with an HD-DVD drive.