Yet Divx has its advocates. Since you never have to return Divx discs, you can build your own library of titles. If you're a chronic late-fee payer at the video store and you rent a lot of movies, the extra $50 to $100 you'd pay for a player equipped with Divx may even save you money in the long run -- that is, if enough Divx titles are released in the coming months to let the system realistically become your regular rental format. The Divx movie selection is currently a paltry 350, in contrast to 2,800 movies on DVD. And Divx movies are tough to find -- so far only half a dozen regional stores and a few dozen mom-and-pop shops around the U.S. are selling them. Circuit City, which owns a majority stake in Divx, is the only national retailer for both the players and the movies.

Industry analysts predict that Divx will never grow beyond its tiny market share; only about 100,000 players with Divx have been sold since the launch last September. But consumers who decide to give Divx a try should understand this: we're not witnessing a battle of incompatible platforms like the Betamax-vs.-VHS war of the 1980s. A DVD player that plays Divx discs also plays regular DVDs. If Divx disappears, you've blown $100 -- but you still have a DVD player.

Consumers who own a computer or plan to buy one have a third option: the DVD-ROM drive. The hardware costs about the same as a DVD player -- upgrade kits run about $200, and they are now standard components of most high-end systems. With a DVD-ROM drive, you can watch movies on your PC or your TV (with the right hookup); it will also play all your CD-ROM's. One thing you won't have is much of a selection in terms of software titles that make the most of the drive's interactive capabilities. The current trickle of DVD-ROM titles mainly takes advantage of the extra storage capacity of the double-sided disc. (Riven, a five CD-ROM game, fits on one DVD-ROM, and the 30-disc National Geographic archive fits on four.) Movie studios have started putting movies on DVD-ROM's so they can add extra content. In March, MGM released a DVD-ROM version of Ronin that synchs with a Web-based "behind-the-scenes" streaming-audio presentation. There's also Dragon Slayer -- an update of a video-intensive arcade classic -- from Canadian firm Digital Leisure, and a few other games. But that's about it.

The best reason to go for DVD-ROM? It may be that portable computer you take along on trips. Add a DVD-ROM drive to a notebook PC (a $400 proposition), and presto! You've got your home-theater-away-from-home sitting in your lap. -- With reporting by Emily Park