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No monopolist is ever going to support a product from a direct competitor...The difference? None of them are monopolies and accustomed to monopolistic control in a market.

That's exactly the potential outcome - HD-DVD could still win out unless all 174 Corporate Blu-ray backers figure out how to make cheaper consumer examples of their players.

There are 138 Corporate HD-DVD backers of which Microsoft is one. Microsoft has recently primed the pump by helping (funding/bribing) studios to create lots of HD-DVD titles - the other factor of format choice for consumers. There's some contention that Microsoft is just trying to fuel the format wars so they can swoop the download market.

Oh, yeah.. the download market. LG and Netflix partnership, Apple and a dozen others may obsolete both physical standards.

By everyone I assume you mean "An exceptionally small subset of the media and technology industry" that includes, and only includes, according to Official HD-DVD site: HP, Intel, Microsoft, Paramount, Toshiba, Universal, Warner, HBO and Newline

Maybe you should try going to the right site and posting the right list: acer inc., acses co.,ltd., ad seeds co.,ltd, almedio inc., alpine electronics, inc., altech ads co., ltd., arcsoft, inc, audiodev ab, b.h.a corporation, bandai visual co., ltd., beko elektronik, broadcom corporation, canon inc., cdn corporation, ltd., cmc magnetics corporation, cyberlink corp, d&m holdings inc., daikin industries, ltd., daiko.co,ltd., daxon technology inc., dedicated devices, inc., digion, inc., digital site corporation, digital theater systems, disc labo corp., diskware co., ltd., dr. schwab inspection technology gmbh, dt japan inc., ebistrade,inc., enteractive gmbh, entertainment network inc., exa international, expert magnetics corp., finepack . co.,ltd, flag,inc., fuji photo film co., ltd., fuji seiki co., ltd., fujitsu limited., funai electric co., ltd., gear software, inc, gibson musical instruments, hamamatsu metrix co.,ltd., hewlett-packard company, high-def technology gmbh, hitachi, maxell, hoei sangyo co., ltd., ide-ava transmix co., ltd., imagica corp., imation corp, info source multi media korea ltd., infodisc technology co., ltd., intel corporation, interchannel, ltd., intervideo, inc., itri, jp co., ltd, justsystem corporation, kadokawa holdings,inc., kaleidescape, inc., kenwood corporation, kinyosha printing co.,ltd., kitano co.,ltd., konica minolta opto, inc., lenovo japan, m2 engineering, mcray corporation, megan media holdings bhd, memory-tech corporation, microsoft corporation, mitomo co., ltd, mitsubishi kagaku media co., ltd., mitsui chemicals, inc., moser baer india ltd, nec, nero ag, nichia corporation, nihonvtr inc., nikkatsu corporation, nixbu entertainment gmbh & co. kg, omnibus japan, onken corporation, onkyo corporation, online media technologies ltd., origin electric co.,ltd., outpost fx (ab) international, paramount home entertainment, pegasys, inc., pico house co.,ltd, pixela corporation, plannet associate co.;ltd., pony canyon inc., proboxx.inc, prodisc technology inc., protron digital inc., pryaid records inc., pulstec industrial co.,ltd, q-tec,inc., query inc, ricoh company ltd., ritek corporation, samsung, sanken media product co., ltd., sanyo electric co., ltd., shibaura mechatronics corporation, sonic solutions, sonopress gmbh, storage technology corporation, sumitomo heavy industries. ltd, super vision, inc., taiyo yuden co.,ltd., teac corporation, teijin chemicals ltd., toei video co., ltd., toemi media solutions limited, toho company, limited., tokyo laboratory ltd., toppan printing co., ltd., toptica photonics ag, toshiba, toyo recording co., ltd., trendy corporation, u-tech media corp., ulead systems, inc., unaxis balzers ltd., universal pictures, vap inc., verbatim, visionare corporation, warner home video inc.,

Now would you like to retract your obviously inaccurate statement?

Now would you like to go to a dictionary and look up the word pwned?

PLEASE, WAKE UP: Warner Home Video Inc. is member of the HD DVD Promotion Group.

So what would you expect? A better Blu Ray release?

You make it sound like Sony was the only company backing their technology in the past, and that was the reason they failed.

As well as Sony and Sanyo, Betamax video recorders were also sold by Toshiba, Pioneer, Aiwa and NEC. The Zenith Electronics Corporation and WEGA Corporations contracted with Sony to produce VCRs for their product lines. Department Stores like Sears in the US and Quelle in Germany sold Beta format VCRs under their house brands as did the Radio Shack chain of electronic stores.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax

The HD DVD Promotion Group also has a rather long list of members, among them:

• Broadcom Corporation
• CANON INC.
• FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
• Fujitsu Limited.
• Hewlett-Packard Company
• Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.
• Imation Corp
• Intel Corporation
• Kenwood Corporation
• Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
• Lenovo Japan
• Microsoft Corporation
• Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co., Ltd. / Verbatim
• NEC Electronics Corporation
• Paramount Home Entertainment
• RICOH COMPANY LTD.
• SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
• TEAC CORPORATION
• TOSHIBA CORPORATION
• Ulead Systems, Inc.
• Universal Pictures
• Warner Home Video Inc.

If Universal Pictures is the only media house supporting HD-DVD, it does seem a bit strange that Warner Home Video Inc. and Paramount Home Entertainment are also members of a group promoting HD-DVD...

I'm sorry, but this is too funny to ignore. A quick glance at this page: http://www.hddvdprg.com/about/member.html seems to indicate how full of it you are. MS practically runs the HD-DVD consortium, you say? Urm, what about the, oh, I don't know...the Chair Company, or Managing Members or any of those higher level members that MS is not one of? Oh, but yeah, you're totally right. MS runs the Consortium. mm-hmm. Seriously. Just saying shit doesn't make it true. You might want to try and back up what you're saying. Also, Blu-Ray is going to require HDCP (in your TVs as well) just like HD-DVD. As will CableCard support (in Vista, at least). The Blu-Ray Consortium and CableLabs are both run by MS, too, right? Everything is MS's fault. Indeed. And to the guy who says MS can fight it, they've got the power. I mean HDCP sucks, on that we all agree, but seriously, you try running the planet's biggest software company. Let's see how immune you are to pressure from content providers.

There is a "Contact Us" form on the HD DVD Promotion Group's website.

I just told them that I would buy neither HD DVD content nor devices if it doesn't work with my two existing component/DVI HDTV television sets. I suggest you all do the same.

You take the blue laser and the story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red laser and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the data pits go.

The bottom line is which format holds more data, is cheaper and is consumer-friendly, IMHO.
From http://www.blu-ray.com/faq/#1.5 and http://www.hddvdprg.com/hddvd/hddvd_3.html

---How much data can you fit on a Blu-ray disc?
A single-layer disc can fit 23.3GB, 25GB or 27GB.
A dual-layer disc can fit 46.6GB, 50GB or 54GB.
HD-DVD can hold 15, 30, 32GB

---How much video can you record on a Blu-ray disc?
Over 2 hours of high-definition television (HDTV) on a 25GB disc. About 13 hours of standard-definition television (SDTV) on a 25GB disc.
HD-DVD can hold 4hrs HDTV on 15GB disc, 8hrs HDTV on 30GB disc

---How fast can you read/write data on a Blu-ray disc?
According to the Blu-ray Disc specification, 1x speed is defined as 36Mbps.
HD-DVD speed is 36.55Mbps

MS and Intel have a lot of weight. This will probably cause both standards to be released, and then the superior marketing will win.

With MS and Intel backing, superior marketing will likely be HD-DVD, and again we will be left with the inferior format.