High Def DVD and Library Implications - Part 2

Yes, I am adding something just for the fun of it. Paramount and Dream works have just joined Universal in releasing next generation DVDs in HD DVD only. This pits them against Sony, Disney, 20th Century Fox and MGM which are exclusively Blu-ray. Time-Warner right now is still producing in both formats. What this means is that, where in the past with VHS and Beta, the consumer decided which would survive by picking the format of their choice for a movie, with next generation DVDs it is a matter of which corporate grouping blinks first. Do you buy your next DVD player based on whether you like Shrek more than Cars? Which do you invest in? What happens if Time-Warner decides to go to one format exclusively? I would say the jury is still out on whether to seriously invest in the next generation DVDs from a library standpoint. Of course, everyone could just go out and buy two DVD players. We are, after all, a consumer nation.