HD DVD Breaks The $100 Barrier (With a Little Help From Wal-Mart)

If you'd asked me a week ago -- and as a matter of fact, someone did -- I'd have said that you could sum up the high-definition disc war like this: Blu-ray is selling a lot of software, and HD DVD is aggressively pushing hardware. Essentially, each side has banked on either the chicken or the egg.

In scenarios like these, industry observers look for knockout punches (rare), or potential tipping points (a bit more common). We may be witnessing one right now: as part of its "pre-Black Friday" promotion, Wal-Mart will be offering Toshiba's entry-level HD-A2 player (soon to be replaced by the HD-A3) for a mere $98.97 -- making it a lot easier for cash-strapped consumers to get into the HD world at their own pace.

Should Blockbuster start restocking their shelves to take advantage of a potential wave of new HD DVD owners? I guess we'll find out pretty soon.