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I need some Freeper help here (oh, and I'm not a luddite and I do keep abreast of current tech, it is just that I'm having a very hard time comprehending this. Thus I guess I need some re-education LOL). The article states the following:

The new souped-up DVD formats, which allow for crisper images, mind-numbing audio and added room for bonus features like extra movie scenes or director commentary....

Alright, now here is my problem. I have a very high-quality DVD player, connected to a top-of-the-line TV and sound system (think of the mother of surround system/home-theater thingimajigs). ALright. Thus I have very crips sound (where one can hear everything from the footfall of an ant to the second coming), perfect HD picture, etc etc. The DVDs I have (like everyone elses) also have Director commentary, extra movie scenes, deleted scenes, etc etc etc (I believe nowadays very few DVDs lack such features, with some actually having more extra features than the actual length of the movie).

Question: Why then should I invest between 400-900 bucks on HD-DVD/Blu-Ray? Apart, obviously, from the need to 'awe my enemies and impress my friends' or any other tagline from the ad section of 1980s comic books? Why should I buy the next-gen DVD formats when what I currently have apparently gives me what these new things are promising?

Freeper assistance on this please?

I can only think all this new format does it make it harder to copy a disk with your computer. Unless you have a 80" by 60" wall TV... just how much clearer do people want something.

We still have no cable and only get free air local stations. We are proud when the people faces don't warble in three different directions.

Honestly, I do believe it all boils down to Sony etc being able to make formats so complicated that it slows down home recordings. Huge amounts of data take extra time to decode and process/burn.

My 2 centavos: If you currently have a DVD upconvert player (1080i) with HDMI out and optical audio, I wouldn't bother, at least not at current or expected prices for a couple of years. Theoretically, native picture quality would be better for DVD's mastered in HD (rather than digitally-enhanced), but most people would be hard-pressed to notice a difference without a side-by-side comparison). Maybe you'd see it on Lord of the Rings, but as for most earlier films, not likely worth it.