[John Simpson]

Wow, this thread just gets more and more fascinating.

I think HD is entrenched, so I doubt Blu-Ray discs will ever go away -- especially in places like Australia, where high-speed broadband is not the norm (and usually throttled back once you exceed your monthly limit). HD movies by internet just aren't viable here.

And as Bill says, the rental stores need some sort of physical format to rent, and discs are widely accepted as the media of choice.

The worst thing if HD-DVD leaves us will be the lack of competitive force it exerted in the HD market. Those 3-for-2 and 2-for-1 movies sales were terrific, and I doubt they will continue if HD-DVD disappears (at least until HD is mainstream). Oh well...