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Blu-ray hits bumps in the road to HD market dominance
Ars Technica ^ | May 5 2008 | Nate Anderson

Posted on 05/06/2008 11:04:35 AM PDT by Notary Sojac

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To: RockinRight
Actually, there was a lot of applause at the REO show I went to in 2002. So there.

That was until the crowd heard, "And now here is a song from our new album...."

21 posted on 05/06/2008 11:35:48 AM PDT by dfwgator (Go Stars!)
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To: longtermmemmory
What is out there? Anti-amerirca themed movies?

The first blu ray disc I bought after getting the PS3 was a BBC production called "Planet Earth".The word "stunning" doesn't even begin to describe it.Soon,I'll be getting a National Geographic disc about the Serengeti.

There's a lot more than just anti-American films out there.

22 posted on 05/06/2008 11:37:55 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Women swooned in Mao's presence too.)
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To: Notary Sojac; Las Vegas Dave

Bump


23 posted on 05/06/2008 11:38:27 AM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: PreciousLiberty
As to ripping Blu-ray discs, I thought software was already out there...They're still comparatively large for archiving on a hard drive and blank discs are certainly price prohibitive.
24 posted on 05/06/2008 11:38:51 AM PDT by jack_napier (Bob? Gun.)
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To: zeebee
Blu-ray will take off when there are more titles available.

That and when you can walk into Blockbuster (or get in the mail) nearly any movie you want on Blu Ray. Along with Blu Ray discs being the same price as regular discs are now.

I have already made up my mind, PS3 will be my player.

25 posted on 05/06/2008 11:38:59 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
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To: dfwgator

True enough.

I love the “nostalgia” concerts, but 99% of the time their new material sucks. It’s like they try to sound modern while still sounding like themselves and bomb at both efforts.


26 posted on 05/06/2008 11:40:29 AM PDT by RockinRight (Supreme Court Justice Fred Thompson. The next best place for Fred.)
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To: Notary Sojac
The reported declines in Blu-ray player sales aren't actually declines at all; they only apply to standalone players. Sony's PlayStation 3 has been moving serious units

Yup. I had no intention of buying a Blu-ray player but as it turns out I'll be getting one in the form of a PS3. And as it turns out, the PS3 player will be more up-to-date and more future-proof than the standalone players, some of which are already obsolete as new Blu-ray player profiles are rolled out (the new spec is Blu-ray 2.0).

But I won't be making nearly the investment in Blu-ray that I did with standard DVD 10 years ago - the future is clear: streaming video from your local storage or some remote pay site.
27 posted on 05/06/2008 11:40:29 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Notary Sojac
I dont plan on getting into HDTV until later this year, or early next year. That said, HDTV is MUCH better than standard resolution, IF you have the right source. Blu-Ray is such a source.

I am the first to say that the "new" stuff isn't that much better than the current stuff (Conservative that I am), but I've seen movies on HDTV screens that simply jumped out of the plane, and grabbed me.

There are still some problems with the technology, and the price isn't quite there for me yet, but I plan on upgrading. I DO find standard def TV perfectly adequate for much of my viewing, however.

28 posted on 05/06/2008 11:40:35 AM PDT by Paradox (Politics: The art of convincing the populace that your delusions are superior to others.)
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To: Notary Sojac

Anyone wanting a BD player, most will buy the PS3.. its the cheapest one out there, comes with a nice game system as well, and will handle all upgrades to the format.

This “stand alone player” numbers is right out of the old HD-DVD camp trying to spin.

Every PS3 sold is a BD player, and if you are in a store with only a BD player costing 400 or 500 right beside a PS3 that is a BD player with a game system as well for 400.... most will pick up the PS3.

This seperating out the PS3 from dedicated players to prove something about sales is idiotic.


29 posted on 05/06/2008 11:42:47 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: Notary Sojac
I've got a Progressive Scan DVD player going in through the five wire HD input using regular CDs and the result is super. Can't tell the difference from when I'm in the Sales showroom although they tell me it is.

Had Comcast's HD box, but that didn't give me much more than just a full screen. I returned it and went back to the regular digital box and paid $30 less a month.

So IMHO, an HDTV is great, but I don't think one needs all the fandangle stuff to enjoy it.

30 posted on 05/06/2008 11:50:14 AM PDT by sr4402
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To: HamiltonJay

You’re spot on with post #29. The pricing of the blueray players is ridiculous. I’ve got a 5 disc DVD carousel player that works just fine. I’ve got a DVD burner on both my desktop and laptop pc’s that work just fine. I’m not going to go out and spend 400-600 bucks on a blueray player that doesn’t even have very many features. In fact, I’m waiting for the price of the PS3’s to come down. When it gets closer to 200 then I’ll think about it.


31 posted on 05/06/2008 12:03:52 PM PDT by Tailback
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To: Notary Sojac
No one is talking about it, but the overhead of BlueRay (Microsoft, Sony and Hollywood) killed it before it had a chance.

It's bad enough to have operating systems hobbled, and new technology rendered useless by computer software. Putting up with it, and having to pay a premium for its implementation is adding insult to injury.

Perhaps the death of HDDVD was premature.

32 posted on 05/06/2008 12:11:38 PM PDT by Publius6961 (You're Government, it's not your money, and you never have to show a profit.)
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To: Notary Sojac

The PS3 is also the only player where you knew you’d get the final Blu-Ray spec eventually without paying a penny more. It has the processor power, networking and storage space, so all that was needed was a software update.


33 posted on 05/06/2008 12:23:35 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: longtermmemmory

Now all the talk is special effects. To my thinking it is just a bunch of cartoons.


34 posted on 05/06/2008 12:32:53 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: swain_forkbeard
"The death of a competing HD format was supposed to be a good thing. I didn’t get it then, and I don’t get it now." It shouldn't matter in the end. Eventually all the manufacturers will end up competing on price and the bottom will fall out of the market, whether there are multiple standards or one. But eventually is not today.
35 posted on 05/06/2008 12:33:40 PM PDT by Blackyce (President Jacques Chirac: "As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure.")
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To: Mr. K
How can Blu-Ray be higher def than HDTV?

It's not higher-def in the number of pixels, but those who transmit your HDTV use high compression to save bandwidth, and that hurts picture quality. HDTV is also broadcast at a maximum 1080i (interlaced), while Blu-Ray is 1080p. You do need a big, high-speed TV to notice the difference though.

36 posted on 05/06/2008 12:33:47 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: RockinRight

REO is coming to Oklahoma City in a month or so. I went to an REO/Blue Oyster cult concert in 70’s. I barely remember it.


37 posted on 05/06/2008 12:34:12 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: Mr. K
I have HDTV and the images are very nice- my question is technical- it can’t have higher definition than 1080p (or i), which I receive digitally

You're getting 1080i (interlaced) on HDTV - and the cable companies are sometimes cheating and delivering lower quality feeds. Blu-ray is 1080p non-interlaced, and it's perfect.

To me the big problem with Blu-ray adoption is not the player, it's that too many of the greatest movies haven't been released on Blu-ray yet - the catalog is skewed toward more recent releases. Unless you're the kind would rather see classics like "Alien vs. Predator" instead of "Ben Hur". ;)

38 posted on 05/06/2008 12:35:58 PM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ("One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering. 'Supernatural' is a null word." -- Robert Heinlein)
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To: Gay State Conservative
I would be in seventh heaven if they ever start remastering some of the old music I like (60's particularly) and putting into one of those HD Audio formats.

BD-Audio is the Blu-Ray 3.0 specification, and lucky for you Sony will probably issue a system update so you can play those disks (whenevery they come out).

39 posted on 05/06/2008 12:37:20 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: longtermmemmory
with DVD players below 50 dollars there is very little incentive to fork out 300 for a blue ray to watch the same garbage.

My first DVD player probably cost more than my PS3 if you count inflation. VCRs were pretty cheap at the time. That's just how the next generation works. I remember when a 42" flat screen cost over $20,000, and now they're under $900.

40 posted on 05/06/2008 12:42:04 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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