Microsoft putting HD-DVD into next version of Windows

You're probably not as obsessed with the minutiae of these things as we are, but Microsoft just announced that Longhorn, their codename for next overhaul of the Windows operating system, is going to support HD-DVD, Toshiba and NEC's high-capacity successor to the DVD. This is bad news for the HD-DVD's main competitor, the Blu-ray disc (Philips and Sony's high-capacity successor to the DVD), though it is entirely possible that Longhorn will eventually support both formats. If you haven't been following this, the industry groups backing Blu-ray and HD-DVD have been duking it out in a VHS vs. Betamax-style rumble over which format will get to replace regular DVDs, with the movie studios
(except for the one owned by Sony) mainly waiting to see how things play out before committing to one format or the other (which is only pushing back the day when we can buy The Lord of the Rings trilogy in high-def). We won't toss it to HD-DVD just yet, but Microsoft's backing might make it just a little bit easier for the studios to go with it over Blu-ray.