Last Chance HD DVD Blowouts

Almost a year to the date after HD DVD received the mortal blow that killed off the format, a few last resources are selling off their remaining stock. If you have an HD DVD player, why not grab a few of these specials - although it "lost" the battle, it still is a great-looking format.

Right now, Blockbuster is selling over 300 HD DVD titles for just $7.99 apiece.  Everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Zodiac.  There are some really good titles on the list so if you're looking to get a little more use out of your player, this might be just the way to snag a few good discs.  No word on how long those prices are good for, but can't imagine them raising the price anytime soon.

This other offer is a little more time-sensitive . . .

Netflix Sending HD DVD Softly Into that Good Night

Alas, poor HD DVD owners. The last major source for new-to-you HD DVD titles is soon to be no more. Netflix just announced that effective December 15, 2008, they will no longer carry HD DVDs. Rent now  or forever watch Blu-ray. HD DVD owners are in for a blue Christmas.

Actually, they're going to replace any HD DVD titles in your playlist with standard DVDs. According to Netflix, "We will automatically replace any HD DVD titles in your Queue with standard DVDs when available. You don't have to do anything...Last February, we announced that since most of the major movie studios had decided to release their high-def movies exclusively in Blu-ray, we were going exclusively Blu-ray as well and would be phasing out our HD DVDs."

This is an interesting move because . . .

Toshiba's HD DVD Updates: Too Little Too Late?

Nothing like beating a dead horse, but Toshiba has just released version 4.0 software updates for their HD DVD players. Umm . . . Does someone want to tell them the format isn't really around anymore?

Granted, there are a lot of players out there, and folks who bought them bought movies, and sure, they should be able to play them forever.

What's this update fix, and which players does it address?

Chinese HD DVD Format - Phoenix Rising?

No, that's not a typo. Rising from the ashes of HD DVD, the Chinese version of the format is getting ready to launch. Yup — almost a year after the demise of HD DVD,  Shanghai United Optical Disc is set to power up its production line of CBHD by the end of the fourth quarter.  CBHD (China Blue High-definition Disc), recently called CH-DVD (China High Definition DVD) is similar to HD DVD, but supposedly with more robust copy protection.

We gotta ask — what are they thinking?

Women and Children First

The Korea Times is reporting that Samsung and LG will stop making Blu-ray/HD DVD combo players. This is another blow to the fast-sinking HD DVD luxury liner. Cutting their losses, and also cutting the throats of early adopters who adopted the wrong baby, Samsung and LG will pull the plug on their combo players, able to play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Instead, they will focus on Blu-ray from now on. This means that if you have a huge stack of HD DVDs, you have several fewer options for playing your "legacy" discs.

Nostalgic Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Update

If you're one of the unlucky souls who sprang for an HD DVD player attachment for your Xbox 360, the rest of the world may have already dismissed you, but Microsoft still has your back. Months after the format war victory officially went to Blu-ray, Microsoft sent out a software update to the owners of Xbox 360 HD DVD players — that's loyalty.

$50 for Your Trouble

Claiming to share consumers' frustrations that they were asked to make a choice in a format war, Best Buy is placating HD DVD player customers who bought players or before  Feb. 23 fire sale prices with a $50 gift certificate. Best Buy will send out certificates to customers it identifies as having purchased an HD DVD player "or attachment."

 

Circuit City Feels HD DVD Owners' Pain

According to a Circuit City employee tip-off to Gizmodo, the retailer plans to take back HD DVD players from consumers who've become casualties of the high-def format war.

HD DVDs Dropping Like Bees

Come Tuesday, the list of to-be-released HD DVDs will be considerably shorter. Perhaps HD DVD player owners should consider shopping for a stylish vase to put on that empty shelf reserved for HD copies of  Paramount's There Will be Blood, Sweeney Todd, the Jack Ryan films, Cloverfield, and subsidiary DreamWorks' animated Bee Movie.

Paramount's production of HD DVD's ends March 4, the company said last week, with the lackluster final releases of Into the Wild, and Things We Lost In The Fire. The company has pledged support for the Blu-ray format, making it the final major studio to do so, though it hasn't said when the canceled HD DVD films will be pressed into Blu-ray discs.

With HD DVD Gone, Now What?

Just how big a victory the Blu-ray Disc camp scored when Toshiba pulled the plug on HD DVD remains to be seen. Blu-ray may have won the hearts of Hollywood, which is dedicated to preserving traditional media (note Jon Stewart's jabs at viewing Lawrence of Arabia on an iPod during the Oscars), but the public may take a different route to movie playback. With Apple now renting movies via iTunes for under $5 each, in addition to selling downloads for $10 a pop, does anyone really need to buy and store a DVD with super-high resolution?

One question is whether portability will win out over quality following the iPod model for music. Another revolves around the rent vs. own picture. Will anyone other than parents looking to appease toddlers--or enthusiasts building a library--choose to go to the store to buy a disc--hi-res or not--when they can stream a movie from Netflix instead as part of their subscription?