Thanks for the tips. Yes, HD DVD is slow to load and I was reminded how sensitive the disks are to finger print smudging. More so than BD.
I bought a bunch of HD DVDs when they were selling out at a couple bucks each. I need to look into your solution for playing them.
Another question- I have some videos on my windows media server in my office and use 100kbit ethernet Cat 5e to the home theater and play with either PS3 or XBOX360. I only use it for SD videos now. Will these videos in HD play with this setup or do I need to install a local server in the Home theater and set up a local Gbit network to feed a special playback system?