HD DVD Owners Told To Bend Over

Unlike the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, the battle between Blu Ray and HD DVD has come to an end. Toshiba announced today that it will stop manufacturing its HD DVD players next month. Given recent developments, the move is hardly a surprise.

Last week saw announcements from both Netflix and Wal-Mart that they will stop carrying HD DVD products. Best Buy, while at least still carrying the players and DVD's, had begun posting notices in their stores that they would only recommend Blu Ray. And all this comes a month after Warner Brothers' decision to stop releasing movies in HD DVD.

So what does this mean for suckers--er, consumers--who had previously invested in HD DVD? Are they on the receiving end of a re-enactment of Ned "You Look Just Like A Hog" Beatty's famous scene from Deliverance while a Sony salesman plays the part of the horny hillbilly? Will HD DVD owners end up squealing like pigs.... In glorious 5.1 surround sound? Afterwards will they be smoking cigarettes, walking funny, and sticking those HD DVD players in the garage along with the betamaxes and 8-tracks?

Not necessarily. HD DVD players will still play regular good ol' fashioned stoneage era DVD's. Additionally, they will take those discs and "upconvert them" to near-hi def quality.

Still, I'd be wary of Japanese guys with missing teeth who ask you to take off your pants.