The Fall of HD DVD

Toshiba and Microsoft aren't the only big losers with the fall of HD DVD. An estimated 1.3 million customers are now stuck with these useless machines.

To make it up to buyers, retail giants like Wal-mart, Circuit City, Best Buy and Amazon are offering to offset some of the cost. Additionally, manufacturers like Samsung and Sony are looking to win buyers' affection with machines that cater to both Blu Ray disc and HD DVD owners.

Similarly, Wal-Mart shoppers will receive full refunds on returns of HD DVD machines, provided that customers still have their receipts. Anyone who purchased an HD DVD player on or after November 1st can return their player by April 30th to receive their money back and dispose of the old machine. Customers who were unfortunate enough to lose their receipts may want to turn to Best Buy's trade-in center for a reprieve.

Combo Blu Ray disc/HD DVD players may be the hot-ticket item for the next few years, as manufacturers and industry leaders scramble to regain some of the diminished consumer confidence.

Both Samsung and LG have developed Blu Ray/HD DVD combo players that can read both formats. A consumer's best bet, then, would be to return the old player for credit towards this new player, unless he or she hasn't purchased many HD DVDs, in which case, simply buying a new Blu Ray disc player wouldn't be such a bad idea.

There is yet another option on the horizon: Sony is looking at a TV/Blu Ray DVD player hybrid, although the release date is not yet scheduled.

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