Will There be a Clear Winner to the HD DVD vs Blu-ray War?

As mentioned previously, the real winner of the technology war seems to be the consumer as technology improves and the prices trend downward. The HD DVD has seen some the lowest lows as we have seen some older Toshiba units on sale at Wal-Mart for as little as $99 though the usual pricing for the more current models ranges around $199.

Blu-ray still has the lead on the majority of sales with the sales of the Sony PlayStation 3 on the rise. Many buy the gaming system not only for the ability to play games but also for the ability to play Blu-ray DVDS as well. This format also seems to have the greatest support thus far from the movie studios.

But the true winner in the war will be a drive or player that plays both HD DVDS and Blu-ray discs. Most would prefer to have the best of both worlds and have been holding out on buying either one or the other for fear of ending up with the "Sony Beta player" of old. A universal disc player would have the attention of both sides of the market and ultimately win the war, though we don't foresee a mass-marketed reasonably-priced player for at least another 3-4 years yet, though Phillips currently sells a Blu-ray BD-R/RW for about $500 on Tiger Direct.