High-definition DVDs have been discussed and debated for several years now, almost since shortly after the DVD format arrived in the first place. Now that the technology is about to arrive you'd think there would be universal acclaim and excitement. If you did that, though, you'd be wrong. See there are actually two HD-DVD formats that are about to hit store shelves, one backed by Warner Bros and one by Sony. The battle for supremacy is poised to see it's first skirmish in an advertising campaign launched by the Warner Bros/Toshiba contingent. Ads that have the copy point "So real you can almost feel it" will start running on HD-broadcast television stations this week that tout the imminent release of HD-DVD titles (as well as hardware) that include Batman Begins and Phantom of the Opera. That's about two months earlier than the Sony/Samsung products, which won't be available until May for movies and June for players.

This is the first home video format war since the early days, when VHS tapes trounced the Betamax format despite purists saying Beta had the better picture resolution. Each side of the HD battle today is going to try valiantly to not become the next punchline like Beta is today. The marketing and advertising of each DVD format will play a large part in determining a winner, especially the side whose campaign includes a fair amount of education as well as sales pitch. Not only with the technology companies and movie studios get in on the ad game but also trade groups that have been formed by each camp.