I am Legend, etc.

Check out this movie trailer:

I'm pretty excited about it, and I cant wait to see it December 14.

And Lastly, I would like to offer a calm, fanboy free analysis as an alternative to my ranting and raving on recent posts.

Over the weekend, I read several reports of folks who rushed to Wal-Mart stores to pick up ther bargain bin HD DVD players, and the majority of them purchased standard definition DVD's to go along with it.

Lets think about this for a minute. We have 2 formats, Blu-Ray and HD DVD. Both of them are just over a year old, and for the most part fall squarely into the realm of tech enthusiasts and early adopters.

Disney and Panasonic, two very outspoken proponents of Blu-Ray have spent the past several months putting on a 'roadshow' to educate consumers about the benefits and experiences of Blu-Ray versus standard definition DVD's. They have reached tens of thousands of people.

This is a crucial step. People are hesitant to buy into a new technology, especially when some don't even notice the difference between Blu-Ray/HD DVD and standard DVD's. Those people are mainly those who do not yet have high definition displays. This battle for market share is indeed two-fold. You first have to get people into HDTV, then HD discs. The fact that there are 2 HD disc options really throws a wrench into the machine.

The other thing to consider is that this is all new technology. Both formats are new. Does it really speak well of a new technology if you can get it for less than some DVD players, DVD having been around for a decade at this point? For me this is one of the most telling signs that HD DVD is in serious trouble. As I stated previously, more expensive hardware is only natural for new technologies. Not only is this an accepted fact of consumer electronics, but it stimulates the whole tech industry, infuses it with new sources of income, and drives funding for further research and development of said technology.

Now, referring back to my first sentence, it makes perfect sense to me why this whole cheap player scheme seems destined to backfire for Toshiba. Not only is the average joe not expecting to get his hands on this new technology for bargain basement prices, he doesn't know enough about the technology to appreciate it or even know to pick up the appropriate discs. Not to mention, this price slashing over and over is not going to win any trusted consumer electronics brands into the HD DVD camp. Not when Toshiba is single-handily going against accepted industry moves on pricing and treatment of new technologies.

I think that the true picture is that A) Toshiba has a huge excess of these last-generation players and they need to clear them out and B) Warner Brothers has made it pretty clear that the 4th quarter of 2007 will determine where they will align themselves, as being format neutral is something they are no longer keen on doing. Toshiba and HD DVD knowing that they have been outsold by more than 2:1 by Blu-Ray all year thus far is making a last dithced desperate move to saturate the market with cheap HD DVD players to try to boost their software sales. I think Warner leaning one way or the other would be a devastating blow to the opposite team.

This move would more than likely boost Blu-Ray to an untouchable level, with them already controlling two thirds of all HD software being sold and having support of virtually all trusted electronics brands, as well as having more studio support already.

If HD DVD were to bag Warner Brothers (fortunately they have said they will not succumb to bribery unlike Paramount ) this would mean that the Studio support would be nearly an even split, though most agree Warner holds a huge stake in this format battle whoever they choose.

Lets get this 4th quarter over quickly in hopes that we may soon have a resolution to the whole debacle