Almost one-third of non-HDTV households are interested in buying a high-def set in the next six months.

That’s according to a new study from The Diffusion Group.

The research firm adds that the wave of new high-def buyers could bring to shore more HD DVD owners as well.

The company asked “HDTV Intenders” — people interested in buying a high-def set — if they were likely to buy a high-def DVD player. Among those who said yes, 43 percent said HD DVD would be their likely choice while 27 percent said Blu-ray.

Thirty percent said they were not decided which high-def DVD player they would buy.

The Diffusion Group said the HDTV Intenders tend to be younger, more ethnically diverse and have lower annual incomes than current high-def owners.

With HD DVD player prices now starting under $200 — around $100 less than the least expensive Blu-ray player (Samsung’s Blu-ray is $269 today at Amazon.com) — the lower HD DVD price could appeal to the lower-income group.

“The next wave of buyers is comprised of early mass-market consumers, a much larger segment with a focus on practical considerations such as price. It is TDG’s opinion that the format which can best address the needs of mainstream consumers will emerge as the winner of this format war,” said Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst with The Diffusion Group.

Despite the study’s conclusions, however, it’s arguable that many prospective high-def owners are aware of the differences between HD DVD and Blu-ray, including price and features. Previous studies by other companies have indicated that most consumers have never even heard of Blu-ray and HD DVD, or the high-def DVD format war.

The Diffusion Group conducted two separate research surveys for its study, one in October of 1,500 U.S. adult Internet users and one in November of 2,000 U.S. adult Broadband users.

You’re right, the 5200 was really cool for its time – I especially loved Mario Brothers and Joust. With two boys in my household who have grown up on Spyro and Ratchet & Clank, a PS3 is inevitable for me as well, at least so we can keep following the R&C storyline and anything else Insomniac comes out with.

However, there is a workaround I discovered on one of the message boards. If you delete the Warner Bros/Alexander entry from the persistent memory in the player, the disc will play. Emailing Warner Brothers regarding this problem gets no response. I don’t know if Warner Brothers has a fix in the works.

–Dave