LOS ANGELES - People who own an HD DVD player can forget about watching "Spider-Man 3" in high definition when it goes on sale during the holiday season. The movie from Sony Pictures will only be available in the Blu-ray DVD format. Likewise, people with Blu-ray players won't be able to enjoy the action-thriller "The Bourne Ultimatum," which Universal Pictures will release only in HD DVD.

These exclusive arrangements, plus aggressive price cuts for high-def DVD players, are designed to persuade consumers to finally embrace one format or the other (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_en_mo/dueling_dvd_formats).

But analysts wonder if the moves will anger consumers, just as the studios and consumer-electronics companies are hoping to boost high-def DVD sales as growth in standard DVDs stalls.

"The frustration for consumers is not knowing what format is going to win," said Chris Roden, an analyst at Parks Associates.

I am actually disheartened while watching the Blu-ray and HD-DVD battle. I think it sucks that I will be unable to purchase a certain movie because it's in the wrong format. IMO that adds to the problem, not the solution.

I don't exactly know when the key "turning point" of the battle will be, but I am anxiously waiting for it.

What do you guys think?

Cheers!

Maikeru Hatamoto

Additional reading material:

The two formats compared (http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_6599910?nclick_check=1)