Sony: Blu-Ray format can't be improved

electricpig.co.uk ^ | September 1, 2008 | James Holland

[Federalist Society]

So, are you still using this kind of cell phone too?

[EnigmaticAnomaly]

Terre Haute? I live in NW Indiana here! I used to work in Indianapolis...small world after all...:-)

[ErnBatavia]

What...is...a...cell...phone? Something prisoners use to make those collect calls?

[edh]

“Not exactly on topic, but does anyone know of a listing of available QAM tuner HDTVs? It doesn’t seem to be something they use in their descriptions.”

I haven’t seen a list, but I have heard they existed :-)! The problem in my area with QAM tuners in HDTVs is that my local cable company told me that using a cablecard is illegal (they had no idea what they were talking about)??? I know some areas will provide this and you actually save a few $$$ since you do not have lease a box.

You can get QAM tuners for PCs, but they’re virtually useless w/o the cablecard. You probably know this though.

Does your cable provider offer you this service? If so, where are you :-)!

[Clock King]

...everything that could be invented has been invented.

-- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of Patents 1899

[word_warrior_bob]

Blu-ray gives better resolution than over the air high definition (some discs are better than others).

If you have a HDTV and you don’t have a blu-ray player, you don’t know what you’re missing, it also upconverts dvd’s. Blockbuster rents blu-rays now too.

[Poser]

I’m not buying anything until I can use it to RECORD. Most of today’s movies are crap. I don’t want to own them. I want to be able to record HD programming and save it.

[Hot Tabasco]

I currently have an RCA upconvert DVD player. Blu-Ray still beckons me, however.

My upconvert DVD is a Samsung and my TV is a 60" plasma Pioneer Kuro.

I'm not even thinking about Blu-Ray due to the limited number of DVDs at the rental store, the increase in rental fees and the inability to copy them.

Occasionally I will wander over to Hollywood video and rent a DVD but ultimately I never watch it that night so that's why I burn them for future viewing.

Also, my county library is an endless source for DVDs that I've never seen and they are free with a maximum of 15 rentals at a time.........

Blu-Ray is for video-philes with money to burn and is overkill considering the quality of DVDs on upconvert players and a quality TV.....

[mysterio]

I'll buy a blu ray when they are 40 bucks. If they stop offering regular DVDs for rental, I'll stop renting.

I'm tired of being forced into new formats so they can resell their entire catalog over and over again.

[Hurricane Andrew]

One more reason that I’m surprised/upset that HD-DVD lost out...

[AFreeBird]

It seems to me a simple 8GB memory stick can be made real cheap if they started using them for video distribution.

Bingo. They clearly stated that a "new version" would be different. And silicone is small and cheaper. But this is Sony entertainment speaking. Not Sony technology.

IT needs demand greater, faster, more durable capacity. Always has, always will.

For my video needs, an up converted wide screen DVD works just fine. I'm not going to spend hundred$ on BlueRay players let alone the premium on disks.

[SampleMan]

Blu-Ray’s conquered the HD format war, but its design and technical limitations mean the current format is as good as it’ll get.

Reminds me of my quote at the time of my first computer purchase, "No I don't need a 30MHz machine, 25MHz is as fast as I'll ever need."

[Larry Lucido]

And they were right. 8-track hasn’t been improved upon in decades.

[Doohickey]

I'm sure glad it was the motion picture racket industry rather than market forces that determined who would win the format war. HD-DVD was the better format but Sony was able to use it's position in both the electronics and entertainment industries to foist this dead end format on us that shows little sign of becoming more affordable.

Here's hoping Sony's victory is a pyrric one.

[Nowhere Man]

VHS here, and no cable either. Alas, no rabbit ears either. I have a wire connection to the building antenna. 8 channels, who needs more?

I do have a DVD player/VHS combo so VHS is still used here to record. The TV is a 1982 Zenith System 3, been used daily since early 1983. Just like 1983, it is playing "Knight Rider" now although I'm using the antenna to receive Retro Television Network" thru an HDTV converter box. When finances permit, I'll go for a DVD recorder or Blu-Ray.

[jeffc]

What type of improvements will be appearing in the future?

The article mentioned flash devices (ROM-type things), and someone earlier mentioned an 8-gig stick, so I suspect something along the lines a flash stick with a USB connector that you plug into your TV (probably will be called just a monitor by then, with the only channel selection being your cable/satellite box). No moving parts, or scratches to worry about!
My question is what's up with 3D? A few months ago someone posted that the Zalman 3D monitor gave him headaches. If they can do it with IMAX 3D, why not in your home (I don't see why people would mind wearing the polarized glasses to watch TV, so many people have to wear prescription glasses all day long).
I wear a mic/headset when playing Test Drive for 5, 6 hours at a time, so I can talk to others (and I have to play at night, so I can't blast the sound out my Logitech 5.1 surround system). =:-(

[I Drive Too Fast]

I still have an 8-Track player plus a few tapes. It still works good. I bought the Pioneer deck in 1979.

[AFreeBird]

Reminds me of my quote at the time of my first computer purchase, "No I don't need a 30MHz machine, 25MHz is as fast as I'll ever need."

LOL.... jeez, you really know how to hurt a guy. My first computer... 4.77 MHz. Well, actually my first computer was a 16K CoCo, but I don't recall the clock speed. My first Intel x88 was 4.77.

[yazoo]

In that case, I’m sticking with my old B&W Zenith wood console. Besides, it looks so good next to my HI-FI.