So apparently the high-definition format war is over.

And, as one might expect, I picked the loser in this technological pissing match.

If you've been under a rock for the past year or so you may not have known that we were embroiled in a fierce format war. The generals of each camp, Sony and Toshiba, each set loose on the high definition battlefield their own hand-picked champions: Blu-Ray and the more aptly named HD DVD, respectively.

Technologically they were quite similar, with differences between them lying mostly in total storage capacity and interface implementation. What was important was that they were both formats for storing High Definition video content. Anyone who has watched a High Definition movie or television show will attest that it looks gorgeous (it should, high def contains about 6 times the information that standard definition does). It was about time we started thinking about upgrading our television resolutions.

Sony sought out to win the format war by building the Blu-Ray player into their current generation console, the PlayStation 3, gambling that the popularity of the unit would have the benefit of establishing an early beachhead in the homes of many consumers. Toshiba had no such "secret" weapon and had to rely on undercutting their competition's steep prices (both for the PS3 and standalone Blu-Ray players) and working with Sony competitors such as Microsoft to offer an add-on HD DVD player for their current gen console, the Xbox 360. Both camps would rely on behind-the-scenes deals with movie studios to attempt to sway favor (and, more importantly, exclusivity) and gain the upper-hand.

Already owning a 360 and wanting desperately to sample this budding and attractive high definition video market, I went the early adopter route and purchased said HD DVD drive for the 360. The movie 300, which I loved at the theater, was about to be released on video and I salivated over the prospect of watching it in 1920x1080 resolution. Faced with buying a PlayStation 3, a standalone player, or an add-on to my Xbox 360, the HD DVD add-on drive was the only thing that made financial sense. For less than $200 I could add high definition video capability to my existing system. 300 came out, the price on the player dropped another $20 bucks, and I walked out of Best Buy with a new toy under my arm.

And then Toshiba somehow royally screwed it up. Microsoft didn't seem to do much to support them (why should they when what they really care about is people downloading high def content via their Marketplace service), and Sony clearly backed up dump trucks full of money to the doors of studios to secure their partnerships. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Blockbuster, and Netflix saw the signs and in recent weeks all but abandoned HD DVD in favor of Blu-Ray.

*sigh* At least it's over and we have one major format for our next generation content. But I'm stuck with a device that supports a quickly obsolescing medium. I'm too honest to go on eBay and pawn off my player to some poor schmuck who doesn't know any better. No, instead, I will become my generation's "Laserdisc Guy". When guests are over to the house I will invite them into my entertainment room with the promise of showing them "Something I bet you've never seen before". I will lead them to a cabinet that will hold an Xbox 360 and HD DVD in mint condition, carefully dusted and seemingly untouched by human hands. I will reveal my vast library of titles: 300, King Kong, Shaun of the Dead, Training Day, and they will ooh and aww over those old "classics". I will carefully remove the foreign-looking disc from its shiny red plastic case, holding it by the edges, my hand draped in an expensive and soft piece of fabric. I will clean the disc once, in a counter-clockwise circular motion, before inserting it gingerly into the player. An hour will go by as I wax on about it being "before its time" and "way better than anything else that was out at the time". I will make the inevitable comparison to Betamax. My audience will dwindle as guests find excuses to leave the room "for a moment", until that one too-polite guy is stuck there listening to me prattle on. Finally I will put away my treasure and close the cabinet again--a cabinet that, from all outward appearances is devoted solely to this device--and will close the door behind me until the next time I have guests.

Oh well, at least I have "Serenity" (an HD DVD exclusive). That movie alone may have made it all worthwhile.