Blu-ray won the war. But the peace is a killer.

As the major DVD story for 2009, the fate of Blu-ray may soon be determined. There are cynics who have issued dire predictions that the high-definition format is already in a death spiral.

There are contrary indications the dazzling but overpriced format is finally making inroads, especially with healthy Blu-ray sales of The Matrix trilogy and The Dark Knight. In its first week alone, The Dark Knight sold 1.7 million Blu-ray copies worldwide as part of its 13.5-million total. Warner Bros. bragged "The Dark Knight is the best-selling Blu-ray title in history."

Between the extremes, and assuming it not only survives but thrives as a mainstream format, Blu-ray still has a long way to go. 2008 counts as a disappointing year, even though rival HD DVD was finally pushed out of the picture last January. Going into 2009, Blu-ray still had only 5% of the North American market share. Its backers must now entice weary and economically stressed consumers during a deep recession.

There are dollar issues to address. Prices must come down, both for the Blu-ray machines and for the discs. The players themselves need significant upgrades: They are still too slow to respond when you turn them on and pop in a disc. Many consumers are happy just to play their standard DVD collection in an upconverting DVD player that mimics a high-def experience.

But the improved quality of picture and sound of Blu-ray over standard DVD is generally obvious, especially with more recent, high-tech films such as The Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan shot selected scenes of his Batman opus with IMAX cameras, and these in particular are screened to best advantage on Blu-ray.

There is also a dramatic increase in the number of Blu-ray titles available, a trend that will continue into the New Year. Even Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ goes Blu-ray on Feb. 17. This is a fully loaded "Definitive Edition" that offers the theatrical cut, plus edited versions with less violence.

Other coming Blu-rays range from Martin Scorsese's boxing classic Raging Bull to the grotesque Penthouse production of Caligula. Peter Jackson's King Kong comes to Blu-ray on Jan. 20, while The Bourne Trilogy debuts on Jan. 27. Pinocchio is upgraded to Blu-ray on March 10.

Almost all new movies are released simultaneously on standard DVD and Blu-ray. For example, this week, Pineapple Express shows up in various standard versions as well as in an unrated Blu-ray with a BD Live option.

That is the interactive, on-line connectivity that Blu-ray backers are touting as one of the benefits of switching to the new format.

Aside from the fuss over high definition, the DVD industry has other issues to resolve. Quality control is crucial. Many consumers (and this critic) are fed up with the sloppiness that has crept into the manufacture of standard DVDs.

Some discs don't play at all in your DVD machine, even though they do not appear to be damaged. Or they freeze mid-scene while the image breaks into fragments. Some DVDs arrive factory-sealed with fingerprints and/or dust on the discs. Some are off their tabs and are scratched from bouncing around. In collections featuring cardboard sleeves -- increasingly common for box sets -- some discs are pushed in so carelessly they are already scratched. In some sets, glue leaks onto the discs.

These problems are not only annoying, they are ridiculous. The DVD industry has been around for a decade. Things should be getting better, not worse.