Comments on: Blu-Ray Kills HD-DVD: Time To Buy A Player?

By: Online DVD Rental

Online DVD Rental — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:37:45 +0000

i dont think its time yet. i went to blockbuster and they still have pretty pathetic collection of blurays. if you buy all of your movies, then thats different

By: webomatica

webomatica — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:17:13 +0000

Yeah the PS3 seems like the best bet currently. But in my case since I doubt I’ll be playing the games much (my PS2 gets like zero usage) that would be a very expensive Blu-Ray player

The download vs. disc option will be interesting to watch. While it’s cool that Blu-Ray now seems like the disc of choice, it’s also in the hands of Sony what with their DRM stupidity and monopolistic tendencies — might very well screw this done deal up. The worst case scenario is they keep prices artificially high for the discs and players, and that would give an opening for downloads — be they from Apple or the cable companies or whomever.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:46:42 +0000

I ended up jumping on the PS3 bandwagon once the outcome of the Blu-Ray war became clearer. It wasn’t the main reason for buying it, but it made me feel better to know that the movie player capabilities wouldn’t be obsolete out of the box (JC, I do agree with you that downloads will ultimately prevail, but I do think blu-ray will have some relevance during a protracted transition period)

Btw — PS3 is the best option right now for Blu-Ray forward compatibility (it’s the only current player — afaik — that will be able to work with the 2.0 spec). MG Siegler has a write up on it here: http://www.parislemon.com/2008/01/blu-ray-20-is-coming-buy-ps3-now-and.html

I figure it’s a good deal to get the gaming + blu-ray capabilities for just a little more than the price of a standalone blu-ray. So far I’ve used it more for the gaming aspect than the movies though

By: JC

JC — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:22:08 +0000

Once again I find myself agreeing with you. Yours and my hesitation bodes well for Apple and other download services. If your feelings on the matter are typical for most users (and I suspect they are) then Blu Ray will have another year of slow adoption despite having no real competition. That should give download companies more time to improve their libraries of both rentals and purchases.

How many Blu Ray titles are currently available? Last I heard it was only 350 or so. Apple already has a hundred HD titles, and will probably have two hundred by year’s end. If we finally get some improved infrastructure with more bandwidth (FiOS, or whatever) downloads could really kill Blu Ray before it ever really gets off the ground.

By: suicidalsam

suicidalsam — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:47:27 +0000

what will the people do who have already got a HD-DVD drive or a stand alone player. will the HD-DVD company refund the money? don’t think so. man these companies should sort things out between themselves and come out with a single format.