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All reports say that the war is effectively over and even sales figures show that finally Blu-ray is trampling HD-DVD. So now that HD-DVD is seemingly out of the way, you are thinking it is the right time to invest in Blu-ray right? Maybe not…

Here is nine reasons to stick to good old DVD:

1. You still have a non-HDTV, in which case watching films on Blu-ray discs is completely pointless. The signal is downgraded to SD (standard definition) and you pay for quality that you even get from analogue TV stations.
2. You have an HDTV but its diagonal is not more than 37 inches. At these sizes it will be difficult to see real quality benefits with HD, and certainly there will only be tiny discernible differences between 720p and 1080p.
3. All modern DVD players have an HDMI output and upscale DVDs to 1080p. And it works pretty well, with interpolation giving nice results very close to Blu-ray material. I am not going to argue it is exactly the same but some tests I did recently with a friend and his new Philips Ambilight 37 inch TV set convinced me that the HD era was here before even the Blu-ray has arrived…
4. If you love films and like to go even a little further than the Hollywood mainstream, Blu-ray material is not going to satisfy you. The range of DVDs available is simply massive and even if you invest in Blu-ray, believe me you will have to go back to DVDs for a long long time…
5. If you enjoy going to the cinema -especially if you are lucky to live in a country and area with digital cinemas- then you can skip Blu-ray and build a much cheaper DVD collection. If you have seen a film at the cinema you can wait to purchase the DVD at bargain price later.
6. If you are a student and have to watch films on your computer anyway, skip Blu-ray as BD-ROMs are still very expensive and DVDs are just fine on computer displays. And you will not have to worry about HDCP protections…
7. Cost is a major issue and be sure that Blu-ray is still an expensive option. This applies to both films and equipment.
8. In its last ditch effort to sell the HD-DVD format, Toshiba has slashed prices. I am not of course suggesting you should go and buy one, but instead let the free market do its wonders. The Blu-ray camp is winning but it will definitely have to do something about the cost competition. So wait and see what happens…
9. If you have HD cable or satellite you can ignore the whole HD disc thing completely.

Despite blue laser optical disc supporters wanting to convince us otherwise, DVD discs are for movies the equivalent of CD discs for music. As it has happened with MP3s in music, film distribution is going to change and the only question is when! As CDs are still sold in large -but quickly declining- numbers, the same will happen with DVDs, they are and will remain the backbone of film distribution and personal film collections. So if you fancy HD just don’t be in a hurry!

I will return with some tips on when to know that the situation is ripe for a Blu-ray investment.