First let me say that I've been reading about the "next generation" of blue laser based digital disks for several years now. I even read a very interesting interview in MIT Technology Review with the man who invented the new laser technology. So I've been waiting probably about 4-6 years now for this next jump in optical storage capacity. Sometimes I wondered if it was EVER going to get here. 
And from the very begining, the name I heard most was always Blu-Ray. In fact I didn't even hear about HD-DVD until sometime during the last year or so. Don't get me wrong, I not in the least surprised to find competing technologies, after all, look at DVD in all its +/- variations. Sadly, I think format wars are just a natural and unavoidable consequence of business economics as companies try to carve out marketshare and diferentiate themselves from the competition. Yes, sometimes industries will get together to create standards, but just as often you end up with multiple, competing and generally incompatible formats. (sigh)
Now all that said, and given that mostly all I'd heard about was Blu-Ray, AND given that it will have a higher capacity, I was firmly in the Blu-Ray camp... UNTIL I started to read some of the posts in this forum. Quite honestly, I dont have the money to be an early adaptor, and much as I'd like to, I probably can't even join the HiDef club when the prices of each technology drops by half or more. Sadly, I'm the sort of guy who has to wait until the hardware is dirt cheap and all the standard's wars have played out. Meaning I will sit on the sidelines for probably another 2-3 years, and just have to accept which ever format "wins".
However, after reading some other thoughtful posts on this subject, I believe it would be best for every one if HD-DVD emerges as the "winner" in this war. My reason has nothing to do with size, or price, or quality, or resolution, or any of the other things techno-nerdy things I would normally care about. In this case my reason is soley that as much as I admired Sony in the 70's and 80's, I no longer trust them as a hardware company.
Back in "the old days", back when Sony invented the walkman, and captured the world market with their cool little electronic gizmos, that was great. But now Sony is not only hardware, now it is a multimedia PRODUCER/DISTRIBUTOR, and as such its first focus is on DRM. In other words, now the whole issue of DRM makes it both supplier - and adversary - to its millions of customers.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm NOT trying to get into a whole debate about DRM, and pirating, etc. Honestly I can understand the arguments on both sides, and I feel both sides have abused the tolerance of the other.
My point is that as a producer/distributor of original creative works, Sony has tunnel vision. It's corporate philosophy has now become "how can we make sure that people MUST pay us whenever they access our digital content?" And this is a VERY different philosophy from "How can we make really cool electronics that people will want to buy?" Proof that the first philosophy now predominates at Sony is the recent debacle about Sony producing DVD's that install rootkit malware.
Honestly, no matter what format wins during the next few years, DRM is going to be grow and grow to be a majorly f'd up situation. Especially when companies pay to have legislation passed that strips consumers of their rights, and force users to accept draconian EULA's. The whole DRM is just going to get worse and worse in the next 10 years.
But for TODAY, I must vote AGAINST Blu-Ray purely because I don't trust Sony to treat me ("the end user") fairly when it comes to DRM. If it was PURELY a technological question, or one of who can stuff the most bits, then I'd vote for Blu-Ray without a split second of hesitation, and damn the price. (after all, I know that as critical mass is achieved in the market place, prices will come down, as they always do)
But given the extra DRM dimension, I am now forced to vote AGAINST the superior technology, and just hope that the latter generations of HD-DVD will eventually grow to the size that super high quality HiDef video demands. I've been a techno-weenie all my life, and it just "feels wrong" to vote against a technologically superior product. But in this case I feel everyone will benifit if we don't allow Sony to ulimately have near monopoly control of both content and medium.
So, that's my 2 cents worth, no doubt LOTS of people will strongly disagree, and tell me that I've got it all wrong, but unless Sony decides to sell off its Music and Video Production/Distribution divisions, I just don't feel they will have my ("the average end user") best interests in mind. They won't be making cool new electronics that have all the features I want. Instead they will be create products that are designed from scratch to be "crippled", and which force me to accept the features THEY feel I should be "allowed to have", while also doing their best to prevent me from gaining the features I really want (that being the ability to easily use/move content that I've paid for, on any product I own.)
Sincerly,
Ima Sloetyper
Disclaimer: Your milage my vary, Take with large grains of salt, and Never put anything in your ear, except your elbow! 