HD-DVD stands for Hovering Death

The referee is standing over HD-DVD and the count is 9. The Toshiba-backed format most likely won't last another round. The heavyweight champ of the high-def format war looks to be Blu-ray.

Lending an assist to this inevitable knockout...movie studios which backed the format and retailers who didn't see the need to stock both formats. Two large movie retailers announced today that they will start carrying only Blu-ray DVDs. And when Netflix and Best Buy make statements like this it maybe time for HD-DVD backers to throw in the towel.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each format but we all knew it was a matter of time until only one player was left standing. When Warner Bros. made the announcement last month - on the eve of the CES show in Las Vegas - that it was backing Blu-ray, all bets were off that HD-DVD would be the victor.

Netflix and Best Buy follow the lead that Blockbuster took last year when it decided to go Blu-ray only.

This isn't the final straw but it could be only a matter of time until HD-DVD players join the list of "wrong product, wrong place, wrong time" objects like the Betamax player, the Ford Edsel, the McDLT and grape-flavored Tang.