Early adopters of HD DVD, a form of high-definition DVD technology, were dealt a blow yesterday, when Toshiba Corp. announced it would no longer make those players after March. The company had sold about 600,000 players in the United States, but a lot of the customers I spoke with, including Buddy Schwartz (above), said they had held out, waiting to see if Blu-ray would reign victorious over HD DVD.

But never fear if you supported the losing team. Do not use your HD DVD player as a doorstop or coaster.

Best Buy spokesman Brian Lucas said yesterday that the stores would continue to carry new HD DVDs to satisfy customer demand. Your HD DVD player will still play the HD DVD movies you already own and standard DVDs as well, he said.

You could also buy more titles --- or cut your losses and sell them --- at used CD and DVD stores