4 of 9
BACKNEXT
Sony Blu-ray DVD player
Sony Blu-ray DVD player
Price: $399

Unlike the Beta vs. VHS video format battle two decades ago, Sony won this war over the next generation of DVDs. But the victory over Toshiba's HD-DVD standard didn't help move Sony's pricey DVD players off store shelves. "The format war was a good excuse [for consumers] to put off [their next DVD] purchase," said Majestic Research analyst Richard Klugman. "Now people are asking: 'Is it worth it?'"

NEXT: Spore videogame
Last updated November 03 2008: 2:10 PM ET
Cashing in on Palin-mania Businesses are milking Sarah Palin fever. More
Where the dollar is strongJust because your personal treasury is shrinking, it doesn't mean your travel plans should too. More
10 must-have iPhone apps Be warned: The picks are subject to change...hourly. More
* : Time reflects local markets trading time.† - Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges.• Disclaimer