HD-DVD Winning Out in High-Def Format Wars?

The battle for high-definition DVD has barely begun, but things are already looking like they're leaning toward the side of HD-DVD. The primary reason? Consumers have become distrustful of Sony, thanks to a list of missteps that date back to its disastrous Betamax cassette.

Most recent on the hit list: Sony's creation of audio CDs with dangerous rootkits that wrecked people's computers, shipping millions of laptop batteries with a tendency to explode, and now a botched PlayStation 3 launch that left American consumers with so few game consoles that people have resorted to violence in order to obtain them.

Check the link above for some sample commentary on Sony's recent business practices. It's hard to argue with them. People, it seems, are simply sick of Sony's shenanigans.

Sony still has a couple of major supporters: In addition to Sony-owned movie studios, Disney is supporting Blu-ray instead of HD-DVD, and more tellingly, Dell and HP are both supporting the Blu-ray camp. Aggressively, even... something the conspiracy theorist in my pegs on the whole exploding battery affair and the financial settlements that followed.

Another huge factor: Both Microsoft and Intel are on the side of HD-DVD, and Microsoft's $190 HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360 is just about the cheapest way to go high-def now. Meanwhile, Sony finally released its own Blu-ray player (pictured). Its price on Amazon: $980. Don't everybody try to buy them all at once.