Hello,
Welcome to HomeTheaterShack. I completely understand feeling burned about HD-DVD. On the plus side, you can now pick up discs for 2-3 Dollars from Amazon Marketplace.
With Blu Ray Players plummeting in price, there has never been a better time to pick up a player. On Black Friday, Best Buy is selling Sony and Samsung BDP's for 149.99. And tons of Blu Ray discs will be available for 8-15 Dollars.
Cheers,
JJ