Now all we need is for BluRay Profile 1.1 & 2.0 (late 2008) players to come down in price for the average joe to be able to afford them.

Don't know about you, but I have issues paying $500 for a HiDef DVD player when I only paid $1,000 for my 42" HDTV.

 

Yep, I understand that issue well. That is why I rationalized the game console approach, which for now, and perhaps for a long time is a better approach than a standalone set top box for HD Optical discs.
Why are the game consoles better, well a couple of reasons:

0) Settop boxes are still expensive for what they do compared to the multiple things accomplished by. Many stand alone set tops players are not easily able to upgrade their firmware to confirm to the entire "standard" which HD optical disc platforms use. See #3.

1) Game consoles tend to out perform the stand alone players, startups are quicker, etc.

2) If you have any interest in games, then you are having the utilitarian use of its multi platform approach.

3) Firmware updates are important, and they are so easy with the game consoles, and sometimes non existent in the set top world.

What I mean is this:
A playback standard for reading the binary is written by a consortium of manufacturers. This standard contains all the descriptions of waht a format can do,should do, and will do in its lifetime. Some of these standards are not written into the firmware of a lot of players at the onset of the devices entry into the consumer market.
Think of a cd player's abilities. Some can read all cds, some only CD-R and some only cd+ R. Well, for a while that was the case, now most all CD players are like the first one I mention, able to play all devices. If a firmware ( The "Standard" ) upgrade/change was available for the players that could not play all CDs, then it is up to you to find it and install it. Sometimes the upgrades are never written at all, leaving you with a device ensuring limited playback abilities for life. NOT A GOOD SCENARIO FOR SURE.

The game console approach, being so interactive, always has a search for firmware upgrades as part of its startup routines. One can skip it, or go for it. Actually, the console lets you know there is a newer firmware available when one is, other wise it does not ask. Pretty cool, eh?

This past January a Blu Ray optical disc was released with options not written into many of the set top boxes. Some folks who spent a grand on these players were left not being able to play/access some of the features on the discs. = Bad news for them, but no problem for the Playstation 3 crowd. We, with the console simply were alerted to a firmware update, and installed it. No problems= happy us.

Some of the set top folks will be waiting a few months for their respective manufacturers to upgrade the firmware, but it leave the player's owners to download the firmware from an internet site, burn it to a cd and install it in their player. The process differs from manufacturer to manufacturer.
For this reason alone, I feel the game consoles are the best players for now. When optical HD matures, I'm sure the settop boxes will be fine as are the current crop of DVD player for the DVD standard.

I got caught on the DVD set top box firmware conundrum, and swore that would not happen to me with these new formats.

I spent a grand in '97 getting the top of the line Sony DVD player. Man was it great! Then newer DVDs had different aspect like seamless branching and such added to them and my player was never setup with firmware that would confirm to the entire DVD standard, so I could not play these discs. Also could not play any of the four types of burned DVD discs either. he player is a dinosaur, a paper weight. I was pretty mad for a long time.

 

To be honest I forget what I paid for my blu ray player, but it is a samsung player and only paid about 300 or so for it. I think it might have been on sale for 299 thats why the 300 sticks out. Plus I got the 5 free movie deal. Look around they are getting a little cheaper, but on sale most weeks all depends on what brand you like

Only had a problem once with any formware updates and that was this last one. Took them(sumsung) 3 months to release it so I could watch the 3rd pirates movie. That was the only movie that I had a problem with.


I got my HD player forst and paid close to 399 for it. Had it almost a year and not a problem with anything on it. Sorry to see that ended us being a waste, but I wont toss it till all movies are 100% blu ray and bring the HD only movies over to blu ray

 

Hope this isn't a dumb question or already addressed here in this thread...

But our standard DVD movies will be compatible to be played on the Blu-Ray players, correct?


I sure hope so because I have a hell of a massive DVD collection and do not plan to replace all of them.

Believe it or not, I have yet to switch over to any high definition big screen yet and still use the standard DVD players here in my surf shack.

But I evenually plan to replace all my DVD players and the 13+ televisions here with high definition sets soon. Just watching prices drop...

 

Yes your old DVDs will play on a blu ray player. But you need to get an HD tv for your blu ray player. Once you do that you will enjoy them alot more

 

Another kicker HD-DVD Death Made Official. Downloads To Kill Blu-Ray Next.

 

Well, JimZ pointed out a definite element to factor in.

Example: Just lastnight we were deciding whether or not to get out and go rent "The Kingdom" on (standard def) DVD for $3.99 or watch it in HD on Insight's On-Demand HD movies for $6.00.

We did niether, though, as we ended up watching the Michigan State vs. Indiana game on ESPN-HD instead.

 

Toshiba quits HD DVD business Now only thing to do is wait and see if Prices drop any, I dont plan on jumping on the band wagon right away, seeing as how my Home Theater system (reg dvd) is just a year old. Maybe if Microsoft comes out with a external Blu-Ray drive for Xbox-360, i'll get that. But for now, i'll Wait.

 

I'd wait for Sony to allow that...

I "impulse" bought a 46" bravia TV and Sony threw in a free 80gb PS3....

I love it. Watching old remastered movies in bluray, such as Full Metal Jacket doesn't do Bluray justice..

but movies with a lot of special effects sure do look pretty... Disney's Cars looks AMAZING on that TV.

 

Dont count on that. I can not see Sony passing this information on to the maker of the Xbox?