The arrival of “Casino Royale” on Blu-ray disc today has the potential to finish the high-definition format war once and for all.

This is the first huge hit with a massive, cross- generational following to be released on either platform; not that people in their fifties and sixties necessarily have any interest in buying a high-def DVD player, but if it’s James Bond playing, they’ll stop and watch in the Sony store, whereas the “X-Men: The Last Stand” disc just gets some weird stares and a muttered comment about Ian McKellen wearing a bucket on his head.

More to the point, “Casino Royale” is a knockout. Gorgeous transfer, pumpin’ sound, terrific movie. Expect to see a lot of people walking out of Costco this weekend with PlayStation 3s under their arms. (The basic model is going for just $549 — a bargain, really.)

Oh, and speaking of DVD: My latest Sympatico/MSN column is up, but the index page hasn’t been updated — so for the moment, if you want to read it, you have to go here. Sorry for the inconvenience.