In case you didn't know, HD-DVD lost the high-def format war against Blu-ray a couple months ago. HD-DVD players and movie discs will cease to be made shortly this year. If you were an early adopter and find yourself stuck with soon-to-be-obsolete HD-DVD hardware and media, there may be a way to get back some of the money you spent.

If you purchased an HD-DVD player prior to February 23, 2008, you could be eligible for a rebate from the place where you purchased the player. Both Amazon and Best Buy announced plans to provide customers with $50 of store credit, if they purchased an HD-DVD player directly from them before February 23 (the date that Toshiba announced plans to end the HD-DVD format). Both stores are automatically sending these rebates to their customers (Amazon is sending emails with rebate codes, Best Buy is mailing out gift cards).

I had purchased an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player from Amazon back in September of last year and did not receive an email from them. I called customer support today, supplied them with my order info, and within an hour, a credit for $50 showed up in my account (which I promptly used to buy Blu-ray discs).

If you purchased an HD-DVD player from Amazon before 2/23/08 and haven't received an email concerning your $50 rebate, contact them through their website. It's fast and easy.

If you purchased an HD-DVD player from Best Buy and haven't received your $50 gift card by May 1, 2008, you can call 1-888-BEST-BUY to verify your eligibility. Click here for more info on Best Buy's rebate.

Other stores are running similar rebates. I've heard that you can physically trade in your HD-DVD player at Circuit City for either credit or a Blu-ray player, but could not find any info on their website. Check with the store you bought your HD-DVD player at to see if they're offering any similar type of "early adopter tax" refunds.