I finally received my five free HD-DVDs in the mail the other day, and the timing was good and bad. Bad because it seems like I’ve made the wrong choice in the format war (think Beta vs. VHS except that no one cares who wins), and good because I've come down with a nasty cold this week and my cable has been on the fritz. HD-DVD appears to be doomed

because Warner Bros. has decided to only release movies in the rival Blu-Ray format (previously they were releasing in both formats). They did this on the eve of the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and it was a big surprise since the formats were running neck and neck. HD-DVD had just reached a very nice price point (I bought mine for only $100) and was primed to reach mass acceptance, but now it seems that Sony's pricier format will end up the winner (unless online delivery and digital storage become practical first). Of course, there is an upside to picking the losing format... there should be tons of high quality hi-def movies on clearance soon and I plan on picking up quite a few.