A few words about....Blu-Ray (1 Viewer)

[Neil_Duffy]

quote:More than likely encrypted HDMI will be the primary connection

So, it's bye-bye scart and S-VHS then?

 

[Malcolm R]

quote:After CD, better audio formats were also introduced, but not very many people upgraded all of their discs then.

To most people, CD audio is already close enough to the real thing, they don't (or barely) hear the difference. Remember, CD's have been around for more than 20 years now.

I suspect the same may apply to this situation: most people with not too large screens already see a dvd movie as a (close to) perfect reproduction of a real movie.

I agree. I don't think HD-DVD, whatever format, will see mass acceptance anytime soon. I see it more as a niche market, like laserdisc. The public has just switched to DVD en masse. I don't see them clamoring to change again anytime soon.

I know I'm fine with CD's. I have no intention of upgrading to any of the new audio formats anytime soon. I'd imagine I'll stick with DVD for the foreseeable future, as well.

 

[MarcusUdeh]

Is it certain that the consumer version of Blu-ray will use the paper technology?

 

[Terry H]

quote:More than likely, you'll need at least a DVI connection. There's no way the studios are going to let a video feed through a non-copy protected interface (component). A DVI-component converter wouldn't work, because the player will expect an HDCP compliant interface.

Well, my set has only component inputs. I will NOT be upgrading until it dies and cost of repair exceeds half the initial cost of the set. Hopefully, many years. That means no Blu-Ray for me! Ironic that their content protection paranoia insures I will not be purchasing their player or replacing my (nearly 1000 disc) library.

I also wonder how may lawsuits there will be concerning "HD Ready" sets that won't display most HD content... but that is a subject for another thread.

 

[Lew Crippen]

quote:So, it's bye-bye scart and S-VHS then?

Neither has the capability to carry HD. Not bye-bye, but neither will work for HD. This is why one needs either component or DVI for HD today.

 

[Sam Posten]

I dont think the players will initially retail for $1k+. Call me a fool if you like but I dont see the PS3 launching for more than $599-$699, so that leaves the $499 price point for a vendor putting out their 'mainstream' BD ROM player and $799+ for them putting out their ultra deck, similar to what Sony did during the original DVD rollout.



How much were those two decks, does anyone remember? I bought the cheaper one while most of the forum bought the big bucks one, and I had a lot less heartbreak over replacing mine when cheaper ones came out with new features =) I could buy 4 nice DVD players today using the price differential between those two decks, and 8 of the cheap apex ones =)



Sam

 

[GlennH]

quote:how cool would it be to have a box set of a whole series run with one disc for each season.

It would be cool. And space-saving. But I don't expect to see it happen as standard practice. The psychological barrier of pricing $70 to $100 for a single disc, regardless of the amount of content, may deter this from happening. People will still feel like they're getting more for their money with a boxed set vs. a single disc.

 

[Scott R. Scherr]

Blu-ray is expected to support component, firewire, and DVI according to this article:



"The outputs for Blu-ray aren't finalized, but it's likely to support all of the interfaces - S-video, component and composite, but also newer interfaces like Digital Video Interface (DVI) and 1394 FireWire 5C, which uses DTCP (Digital Transmission Content Protection)."



http://dvd.ign.com/articles/524/524681p2.html?fromint=1



If it records, it will have to have firewire. Two questions emerge: (1) will the firewire connection work for prerecorded content or only for recording and (2) will the component connection be downrezzed.



Scott

 

[Citizen87645]

The gaming market is different in that software sales support the hardware manufacturing expense. Console makers actually sell the hardware at a loss, hence the $300 price point for new consoles. If the PS3 comes out at a price of $600 gamers would be up in arms.

 

[Kwang Suh]

I'd imagine that any connection that doesn't have HDCP will be downconverted.



They've gotta have downconversion. There's very little incentive for most people to purchase a 14' high def screen for their bedrooms just so that they can watch their high def pron.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

quote:There's very little incentive for most people to purchase a 14' high def screen for their bedrooms just so that they can watch their high def pron.

Add in decent 3d support and I'd do it.

 

[GlennH]

I thought the concern for copy protection is in the digital realm. I don't see why the analog component outputs would need to be downrezzed, anymore than HD content is now from cable or satellite boxes.

I know are some digital video recorders with analog component inputs out there, but are these really a threat?

 

[ElAhrai]

I would sincerely doubt that the DVRs with analog inputs are really any threat to the income of the studios. Most people who have these aren't using them to create a massive library of HD or even DVD quality video.



But I do think that the studios are wise to look into some form of protection, and right now they have that with two features of DVD.



1) Added value materials make the purchase of a DVD for a movie that we enjoy much more appealing than a download or other form of bootleg video. How many of us have repurchased the same movie for some added extra features? The music industry is just getting into this idea, and I know that it has altered my buying habits the only two CDs that I bought new over the last two years had some manner of added content on them.



2) Low cost, if DVD were to cost as much as laserdisc did, I wouldn't have the library that I have, nor would most of the people I know (offline).



If Blu-Ray or HD-DVD have these two things going for them, then they may be able to enjoy the sort of success that DVD has. Provided that there are enough HDTVs in homes and there's no format war. Two pretty big "if"s.

 

[Kwang Suh]

quote:Add in decent 3d support and I'd do it.

Do you mean the girls?

 

[DustinPizarro]

I had another thought about this. Knowing Columbia Tri-Star's practice of re-releasing their titles, will this mean the end of Special Editions since so much data can be added to these new discs? Or will they hold out on their 1st year releases? Or maybe there will be the inevitable "Blu-ray SuperBit?

 

[Mike_G]

I'm having nervous twitches after reading this

.



Mike

 

[DannyS]

I think I'll pass on Blu Ray

 

[Grant H]

It would be nice if Blu-Ray could pass at leat a 1080i signal via component; that's all my HDTV will handle. Of course, if it dies in the next couple years it will likely be replaced with a set with DVI by my extended service contract seeing as how RCA stopped making my set before I even bought it. Unfortunately, the newer ones are smaller.

But, maybe the DLP's will fall by then. THEN I'll be in business!

 

[rich_d]

quote:We were treated to scenes from Lawrence of Arabia

that were split-screen so that we could see side-by-side

the difference between the DVD and Blu-Ray. As the

split screen moved from right to left you could see

the smaller detailed blurry images of the DVD suddenly

come to a razor-sharp realization that became so

incredibly defined.



...and mind you, these are images projected on a

20' screen. Imagine how they will look on consumer

televisions.

I do, I imagine it being much less impressive.

Obviously a lot of you were impressed with the show. Great. But it was a show - can you discern reality from the smoke and mirrors? Comparing DVD to Blu-Ray on a huge screen merely amplifies the differences - a smart salesman's trick (except for the few among us that watch DVDs on the side of a very large wall). Not to mention doing the comparison with a film that is already in large screen format and has been restored. Talk about salting the mine. How would the comparion have been if they had put it on a 60" screen? Less impressive.

quote:Personally, I think the difference between Blu-Ray

and DVD are more dramatic than what we saw going

from VHS to DVD.

Perhaps, but I wonder if you would still feel that way if you had seen a comparison between VHS and DVD on a 20 foot screen? Progress is progress and if this is a better mousetrap, I'm all for it. I wrote this as I think the discussion needed to be more balanced.

quote:I'm afraid I don't understand the comments about 'older films'. My first love is for the classics, and I'm sure the same issues of lower definition/high compression affect the olders films as much as newer ones.

A B&W image contains less information than the same image in color (for one thing) but that is not the key issue in my view.

Older films suffer from the passing of time as well as (with that time) the increased likelihood of wear/tear and abuse. For many of these films, going to high definition will only make the warts more apparent. Perhaps analogous to a fantastic set of headphones and listening to scratchy records.

Let's face it, the studios will look at their DVD sales data on their films and decide that some of those films are not worth the expense of restoration. Not every film is going to get the Harris Lawrence of Arabia restoration or the Lowry James Bond treatment. Point being that it would be a shame if younger film fans (already less inclined to watch older films) become even further hesitant to watch or purchase older films which technology has made less attractive to their eyes.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

quote:But this does have me rethinking TV sets, if they can put a whole season on one disc...then maybe I'll hold off buying many TV releases until the technology takes hold.

But then before you can turn around there'll be a technology arriving that will save even more space by containing ALL seasons on a single disc....