I think we are really looking at Beta vs VHS all over again.
Not just that you have 2 formats, but Beta was always considered superior, it just didn't win.
HD-DVD will win as well. The tech in BluRay is better, but it's also a much more expensive hardware and software solution. (It's also cheaper for the software manufacturers (using existing equipment), so smaller houses (including porn) are more likely to turn out HD-DVD than BluRay).
Most people will never notice a audio/video quality difference so they'll buy for price.
If more people can afford HD-DVD, more people will buy it, more adopters = winner. Sad but true.
Back on subject, if you want a best of both worlds Star Wars, get Citizen's Xvid edition. I'm assuming he has it at as pure film 24fps at high resolutions.
Then you don't have to worry about what format wins the war, or PAL/NTSC. (I'm sure we will see DivX chips in future HD/BR players anyway).
Edit: Btw, Boris, I think you're tone deaf.
I've heard several recent PAL DVD's. Guess what, Pitch Shifting really ISN'T that common (or my sampling was skewed). If you want details drop your DVD in your PC, grab a VOB file and load it into GSpot software. It'll tell you the frame rate and pulldown.The extra lines would be great to have, I will agree, but DVDs look pretty good for 480 lines (and anamorphic helps hedge the line-equation a bit). While more lines would be better, it's NOT better at the expense of sound quality.
Also your films being 4% faster are paced differently than the director intended.