My point was not about the music I have downloaded, but the digital copies (iPod) of the hundreds of DVD's I (and millions of other "old" people) own. If things were to go wrong it's nice to know the hard copies are there to upload again.

I feel the same way about the stuff I have downloaded and will likely always burn those to disc as well. But that's because I simply don't trust iTunes to have the songs available again should something happen to my digital version.

As for the "fixed" crap, Please take that part out of your post. I find it very offensive for people to modify the posts of others in that manner. Call me old, but IMO it's very inappropriate in forums like this one.

The thing about downloading is that the majority of the people who currently download movies just watch them once and delete them, not to mention the fact that they're probably pirates and want stuff for free. Sure, digital downloads could easily erase, say, the video-rental market in the forseeable future, but try to imagine a world where the Best Buys and Circuit Citys of the world don't carry physical media -- it just doesn't seem possible, and until we're in flying cars I don't think it's a real risk. If Blu-Ray, an easy-to-understand next-gen format that's basically like what we have and love but better, is not going to top SD-DVD, then how can we possibly suggest that digital downloading, a somewhat foreign non-format that easily alienates or disinterests potential users will somehow dwarf both SD-DVD and Blu-Ray, not to mention material media in general?

Microsoft Would Consider Blu-ray for Xbox

If HD DVD does indeed fail and Blu-ray is officially crowned the winner of the format war, a Microsoft exec has conceded that MS would consider offering a Blu-ray player for Xbox 360.

With the recent Warner Bros. announcement that the studio will exclusively support Blu-ray over HD DVD, many industry watchers suspect that the format war is nearing its end with Blu-ray victorious. HD DVD player sales for the Xbox 360 would seem likely to dry up as a result, but in the event of a final Blu-ray victory, would Microsoft support Sony's format?

According to Albert Penello, group marketing manager for Xbox, Microsoft will "consider" the option. "It should be consumer choice; and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider," he told Reuters .

Penello added, however, that he doesn't think Warner's decision really affects the Xbox 360 much at all. "I fundamentally don't think ... this has a significant impact on Xbox 360 versus (Sony's) PlayStation 3," he said, adding, "With the PlayStation 2, DVD was a big part in the beginning, but over time, people were not buying it as a DVD player after first year or two."

Penello isn't totally convinced that HD DVD has lost either, despite Warner's decision. "You can't say it's not a bummer, not a setback, but I've seen this battle declared over so many times," he noted. "I want consumers to have a voice in this and I think there are a lot of consumers who bought HD DVD who are going to have a say in how this shakes out."