Not Buying Blu-Ray On Black Friday
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment
There was once a great war between competing high definition disc formats. At stake: laying claim to the vast collection of HDTVs across the world. The end came and went several months ago as Blu-Ray was declared the winner and HD-DVD went away in shambles with its movies thrown to the bargain bin and player prices slashed to rockbottom prices. Buying the loser’s products was never of any interest to me, but this is about how I’m turning my back on the winner.
I don’t want a Blu-Ray player.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, probably my favorite holiday of the year. On Friday, we’ll see some of the cheapest prices for Blu-Ray players ever, but I still won’t want to buy one.
In my mind the Playstation 3 is actually the best player on the market right now. It has the greatest number of features, it is full-spec (which some of the original players weren’t) and it has an impressive collection of games behind it.
But for the sake of playing High Definition content, I’m not interested paying $400 for the base PS3 model and then shelling out $30 every Tuesday when new releases come out.
The way the movie industry is pricing things, it seems to me like prices are just too high for the everyday user.
Additionally I won’t be buying a Blu-Ray player because I don’t see it establishing itself like the DVD player. Make no mistake, there is a phenomonal difference between DVD and Blu-Ray, just like there was when DVD replaced VHS, but there are other options available to the consumer now that weren’t available when I just HAD to own the Matrix on DVD. (It was in fact my first DVD purchase. I picked up the movie before I even owned the player.)
The number one competitor to Blu-Ray is the one I’ll be using: Digital Downloads. Your favorite movies, TV shows and internet shorts all available for download at the fastest rates that you can get. Apple has the market nearly cornered with iTunes, but there are other options out there. The number one competitor right now has to be streaming downloads from Netflix and even Amazon’s Unbox comes to mind. Plus there are other options creeping around.
There’s also something that’s even more popular, albeit a frowned-upon method that people can get their programming. Torrents. People are turning to torrenting because they want a restriction free system. They want to be able to watch it on their computer or burn it to a disc or copy it to their iPod or iPhone without being told that they can’t.
I hope that the movie industry learns from the digital pitfalls that ensared the music industry. The music industry is still suing its customers today in an unpopular campaign against file-sharing. Instead of seeing the future and the AMAZING profit potential that it brought, the industry stayed shackled to the past–clinging to the compact disc. Look at iTunes and the money its making, phenomonal. Now if the music industry had figured that out ahead of the curve, it would have been in a much better spot.
Now the TV and Movie industries are seeing their content on file-sharing networks and have an opportunity to respond. NBC and FOX have done a great job offering up HULU.com it’s where I go to see the funny clips from SNL.
That’s why I’m not feeling Blu. There are other options available that look better to me than plunking down the large amounts of money they’re demanding at this point.
Prices may be low comparatively on Black Friday to what they were, but prices are still too high to give it a try.
If Blu-Ray is around long enough where players cost $50 and discs are at DVD price levels, I’ll take another look, but until then I’m sticking with digital downloads.
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Tags: Black Friday, Blu-Ray, digital downloads, dvd, FOX, Gadgets, HULU, movies, NBC, Not Made Of Wood, Playstation 3, SNL, Thanksgiving
Matt Schuler covers the video game industry and all things tech.
I completley agree actually i myself have apple tv which i’m very pleased with and at the moment blu-ray is just to expensive.
Sam, I’ve heard GREAT things about the Apple TV. I’ve got a HTPC setup on my main HDTV, but am looking at grabbing an ATV for my bedroom.
Have you done any hacking with it? I’ve seen some people are using a software called Boxee that really opens up the unit’s functionality.
I couldn’t disagree more. I knew HDTV was coming from 1983 and I waited patiently for it, now that the last piece is in place I intend to spend a little money on some movies… Note, because I knew that DVDs were an intermediate step so I didn’t go overboard purchasing a library of them.
Sculptor,
I see where you’re coming from. I just can’t see paying the $30 dollar fee that they’re charging for movies. New releases along the lines of the $17 they charge for DVDs would be great.
The Netflix route is great (although there’s a $1 surcharge for Blu-Ray now) but I like to own things not rent them for a time and then see them disappear when I don’t pay the fees anymore.
I don’t necessarily see DVD as an intermediate step, because I don’t know that the industry will be standing on firm-footing with Blu-Ray.
If they do, and Blu-Ray comes out on top, I’ll be the first to eat crow and buy a player and the discs.
-Matt
You want to wait for a lower priced PS3? That’s your choice, but a few details you “omitted” in your piece.
1) There will be profile 2.0 Players under $200 for Black Friday (e.g. the Sony S-350)
2) The films are going down in price. You can find a whole lot of them around $20 now. Check Amazon.com more often, but that is also starting to be the case in stores. I just bought I Robot for $19 at Target. Paying a $5 difference compared to the new titles on DVD is such a drag, when you see a movie with 6x the definition? really?
3) AppleTV is sub par definition, and you do not have the choice Blu Ray has, with al lthe new releases. That is also the case for Netflix on PC.
4) Why not buy a Blu Ray player, with price falling down the toilet, as it upscales your DVDs anyway and will not force you (unlike the switch from VHS to DVD) to re–buy your favorite films, and you will see them in better quality than a standard DVD on your HDTV?
All very good reasons to actually go out and buy a well priced Blu Ray plyaer this holiday season. Or give it as a gift. Or enjoy all the combos with free players for buying a new HDTV…
Having an opinion is fine, let’s just make it an informed one shall we?
1stGreg,
I’ll go point by point with you. To address your first one, <$200 is still not low enough for MASS market appeal. You’ll definitely start to see more adopters now that it’s at the sub-$200 market. You’re already limited to a smaller audience because there’s not an HDTV in everyone’s home. $200 is not low enough, it’s just not. The sales numbers will prove it.
2) Films are going down in price, sure just like they did with DVD. But I’m talking about new releases. I Robot came out in 2004, how about another robot that came out last week. Wall-E is $30 for the Blu-Ray, $20 for the DVD, that’s not right. The hilarious Tropic Thunder, $30 for Blu-Ray, $16 for DVD, same deal.
3) AppleTV’s bitrate is lower, that’s a fact, as is Netflix (which is more than just PC now for streaming, as it was recently added to the Xbox & PS3 marketplaces.)
4) Why not buy one? Well, the format even without HD-DVD as competition, isn’t doing too well. It hasn’t taken off by any means. I’m just not convinced it has LONG-TERM viability. The quality of Blu-Ray is great, I’m not arguing against that, and the upscaling that it does IS amazing. All of the studios are behind it now, and that’s great, but for now I wait.
You’re right, Blu-Ray would make a great purchase or gift, but it’s DEFINITELY not for everyone. I see it as more of a luxury purchase, and with Michigan’s economy the way it is, some times luxuries get left out. I’d love to get one, but like I said a paragraph ago, for now I’ll have to wait.
(I got those prices from searching on bestbuy.com, prices were cheaper at both amazon.com and deepdiscount.com but not everyone’s comfortable shopping online, and the majority of sales are still in B&M stores.)
Thanks Greg!
I like the counter-opinion.
Matt -
I can understand not paying the full retail price for Blu-Ray discs and I get around it by buying things after they have been out for a while so I can pick them up on sale for as low as $9.99.
— Gary
Gary,
Exactly. You can’t argue about the quality of Blu-Ray, and I’m not. It truly is awesome. It does make your regular DVDs look better too, but I still don’t want to be on the front lines of a media format transition that isn’t 100% solid.
Matt
I disagree completely.
For one, downloads (other than those on PCs/illegal torrents) are a fractured, incompatible mess and useful only for rentals right now. Anyone investing in a movie collection that’s reliant upon your download STB manufacturer still being around in six months it taking a huge risk, download companies are being bought out or going under all the time, and if Steve Jobs says AppleTV isn’t making them much money, you really have to wonder about how the smaller players are going to stay afloat. Factor in all the doom & gloom about download caps and pay-per-use internet, plus the fact that most of us just don’t yet have access to the uber-high download speeds that will eventually make HD DD the fast & convenient route to movies it’s supposed to be, and a shelf full of Blu Ray movies looks a much safer bet for the HD enthusiast.
I’d also take issue with your “isn’t doing too well” statement. All indications are that it’s just below, or even keeping pace with, DVD’s adoption at the same stage in it’s lifespan, bearing in mind that DVD is the most successful format ever. Personally, I can think of few markets where a manufacturer wouldn’t consider going from taking 2% of a well-established competitor’s share to ~10% in just a year as phenomenal growth. In 2007 a hot HD DVD or Blu Ray title sold about 100,000 first week copies, now we’ve got Blu Ray titles like Iron Man doing 850,000 copies, and longer tails across the board.
If that “isn’t doing too well”, what phrase do you think best describes how movie downloads are doing, given that the industry stated earlier this year that it hopes to grow to around 0.6% of the market by the end of 2008? As for your inference that Blu Ray players are expensive, can I ask what you’re playing your downloads on? An $800 PC perhaps? Or a $250 Vudu or AppleTV box?
Finally, there does seem to be an attitude that the three (Blu Ray, DVD and downloads) are mutually exclusive. Personally, I find my Blu Ray player gives me the best audio and video quality available, plus day & date releases of all new titles, and does a great job of upscaling my DVDs too. Meanwhile I’ve got access to movies on-line from my Roku box and Netflix.
Actually, that’s made me think of one more point. That $400 PS3 not only makes a pretty good Blu Ray player and DVD upscaler, but any time now (if it can’t already) it’ll be a Netflix player too. Sounds like it covers all the bases.
Cheers.
Topper
Topper,
Incompatibility is a HUGE issue that the content industries need to figure out for downloads. DRM is cumbersome, I’ll agree with you there. Especially when you hear of the DRM protocols being shutdown. (The biggest I remember are MLB’s games and WalMart shutting down and then backing off on its DRM server)
AppleTV itself may not being making them much cash, but iTunes itself is sure raking in the cash. As for the internet download caps, that will be important, but right now 250GB is a TON of content. (That’s Comcast’s cap, I believe.)
Blu-Rays may be a safe bet for the HD enthusiast, but not everyone is an enthusiast. Enthusiasts are often early adopters, but not always.
You may take issue with my “isn’t doing too well” statement, but it’s not. Sony itself says Blu-Ray sales are falling short of forecasts.
(http://ca.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idCATRE4AK0BE20081121)
I don’t take much issue with your Iron Man comparison, it’s true added years will mean added disc sales. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that that mark will be CRUSHED when The Dark Knight comes out. (I’m sure Aaron Lafferty would agree Knight will probably sell a million in the first week.)
Digital downloads are a tiny percentage right now, it was just one example of how Blu-Ray could be dethroned if it doesn’t take off faster.
As for what I’m using. I’ve built a custom Home Theater PC that suits my needs, I did it on the cheap, but with some custom add-ons and a nice case it still came out to about $450.
I definitely don’t feel that the three (Blu-Ray, DVD, downloads are mutually exclusive) I’ve a big collection of the latter two, and would definitely jump on the former if the prices were competitive.
I’m not sure if the PS3 already has the Netflix (though I think it does.) I am pretty sure the Xbox 360 does. I’d have to check my facts on that one.
Thanks Topper.
You and 1stGreg make quite the Blu-Ray case.
Matt, looks like we are going to have to agree to disagree.
This is coming from a guy who owns both Blu-ray and Internet Downloads.
The internet is cheap and yes you can buy/rent movies online, but really it depends on your hard drive space, ram, and your internet connection. A horrible truth is that the speed of your internet cannot be compromised so the videos are compressed into the feeding tube just for you to stream your movie. So in reality you aren’t getting untapped HD. (Hence why I hate cable)
Now believe me when I say this.
I can see why you would want to shoot for a PS3, but you really wouldn’t need to. There are other blu-ray players available, but should you go for the PS3, I find your remark about 30 bucks every tuesday quite redundant and what I had heard OVER many critics. In fact what surprises me is that out of ALL you critics, not one of you has ever tried amazon.com. I get blu-ray discs under 20 bucks, EASY. The new releases range from 24.99-28.99 and to me I just wait a week or two until the prices drop.
But to each his own.
Zaki,
Agreeing to disagree, it’s the good thing about the internet. You’ll have no problem finding DOZENS of other commenters that would tell you to RUN OUT AND PICK UP a player this Friday. I’m just not one of them, and as I’ve read there are others like me.
As for hard drive space on a computer… it’s really coming down and is ceasing to be a problem for most users that are downloading. I just saw a 1TB hard drive dip under $80 at newegg (after rebate.)
There’s definitely compression in videos streamed online, and there’s also compression when getting video on-demand from cable and even when watching live. In addition, cable is NOT 1080p.
I’m not really shooting for a PS3. I can say as a matter of fact I will not buy a PS3 as my Blu-Ray player, should the day come I decide to get one.
I was using the PS3 and it’s $400 price tag as a baseline because it’s the best-selling Blu-Ray player and probably the reason Blu-Ray beat HD-DVD. (One of many reasons.)
About the $30 comment, it was a direct quote of the listing at BestBuy.com.
You’ll notice my response to 1stGreg references cheaper prices for discs at both amazon.com and deepdiscount.com. I shop online ALL the time, in fact if I’m buying something tech it’s probably coming from an online retailer. I was just use but not everyone’s comfortable shopping online, and the majority of sales are still in B&M stores.)
Plus, I frequent a forum (DVDTalk) that has a specific section dedicated to getting good deals for its users.
I’m not swearing off Blu-Ray… I’m just not picking one a player this Friday.
(Plus, when I do adopt, I’ll probably just buy a drive for my HTPC, but that’s another story.)
-Matt
Oh and just because I made this post, doesn’t mean I won’t be including Blu-Ray players when I point out deals for folks on this Black Friday.
-Matt
Yes. I find your points and views interesting Matt, but, rather than choose a side, I prefer both internet and blu-ray.
I urge people to just take the extra step and find deals like I do. If no one wants to do that, then how is a shopper going to enjoy any purchase? Hence why critics need to give the extra push.
That and even though I download stuff daily, I still prefer the tried and true disc formula in the event that my hard drive crashes, and this happens to us mostly these days. Some services offer re-downloading while most companies do not give you such luxury.
I am glad you are willing to give out the deals, and I hope you find a Blu-Ray player that’s right for you. If you need any BD advice, I will be glad to help.
Matt,
I think what Topper was referring to when he was talking about being able to play Netflix on his PS3, was using MediaMall’s PlayOn. It’s a DLNA/UPnP media server that streams content from Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc. from the computer it’s installed on to any DLNA-compliant networked media device.
More info at:
http://www.themediamall.com/playon
Also, with respect to disc prices. A large contributor to the difference in disc prices, are the retailers selling the movies. They will usually treat the DVD as a lose leader, discounting a DVD by $10, selling it for $20 versus the MSRP of $30. Whereas the MSRP on the BD will likely just be $5 more at $35, but then the retailer either doesn’t give any discount or gives a lesser one of only $5. The consumer then sees the difference – a $20 DVD or a $35 or maybe $30 BD.
Seems like the studios are making an effort to try and entice the public to embrace Blu-Ray, with only a $5 premium on 1080p HD content with some BD exclusive features too. What needs to happen is for the retailers to get on-board and start offering the same discounts on BD as they do with DVD’s.
Personally, I am using both methods. Most movies that I really like I buy on Blu-Ray. I also watch movies/tv shows instantly on Netflix, but the quality isn’t there. So I just use that to either test titles before I buy, or watch titles that I know I will never buy but may want to watch once in a while.
I like Blu-Ray much better. There is no comparison as far as quality goes. Plus, if I ever decide to stop paying Netflix, I will lose access to all of those movies/shows. My blu-ray movies I own and will never lose.
Forgot to mention, alot of titles have expired on Netflix Instant service and are no longer available. It has to do with license and contract. Really sucks when you’re trying to watch a complete season of a tv show.
Availability is also a problem. Not sure about other services but Netflix has a long way to go if they are going to compete with Blu-Ray IMO.
I don’t have a PS3, what I was referring re: Netflx to was the proposal to add a Netflix player to the PS3 which I believed was due late this year. After doing a bit of research it looks like I might have been relying on old info there (Sony pulling their titles from Netflix downloads doesn’t look too promising heh), so it looks like I was a little (lot) premature in saying the PS3 could go some way in providing the best of all possible options. Apologies.
Even so, it can be used to play content from a PC based media server, as can the 360, but unfortunately MS have placed a similar embargo on supporting Blu Ray from their console.
All the best,
Topper
Matt,
Re: that statement from Sony on sales. I think there’s a big difference between “not doing well” and missing a self-imposed target by 10%, particularly in the current economic climate. Suppliers in most markets, from cars to HDTVs, are having to significantly recalculate their sales estimates, and in many cases by much more than 10%.
Cheers,
Topper
I think many people have missed the point of this article. Nowhere did Matt state that blu ray is a bad alternative or that it doesnt give the best hd experience available. Rather, he is stating that in order for the format to completely take off, prices need to be lowered greatly. The dvd format was an easy upgrade for people. All we had to do was plug in the player where our vcr once was. It was very easy to upgrade. The price overall wasnt too drastic.
While HDTVs are becoming the norm, most households are still using standard definition tvs. So in order to want to upgrade to blu, they need to purchase a new hdtv and then the player. Most people wouldnt justify paying a 200 dollar price tag for something they arent too familiar with. The avg person is happy with what picture is being presented to them thru cable or satelite. And one thing i read consistently on different blogs and forums is that many ppl dont understand that blu ray is far superior to upconverting players. But since upconverting players are cheap they will opt for one of those and feel completely satisfied.
Personally, I bought a blu ray player the day i bought my new hdtv, however i also bought a new home theatre audio system as well. The avg consumer doesnt do that. And while I love blu ray and its quality, i wont buy a disc. I cant justify paying almost double for a blu disc over a regular dvd. Thank god for netflix and their blu ray rentals.
Also, many consumers dont understand 1.1 or 2.0 or what firmware updates are. They just hear horror stories about ppl purchasing a player and not having it work with newer blu discs. That will slow things down.
Finally, downloading is the future. Anybody who argues that is in complete denial. It doesnt matter that quality isnt as good. When it comes to new technology, consumers want it to be easy, fast, and cheap. Currently downloading hd content is easy and cheap, albeit not too fast… yet. If blu ray wants to truly survive, prices need to drop greatly. So that the general population will feel comfortable trying something new.
Personally Matt, I dont think blu ray will ever be as big as dvd. Many will be happy with upconverting players and the rest will opt for easier, cheaper methods. Blu ray is for a/v fanatics.. it doesnt appeal to a big enuf audience and will lose in the long end.
But thats just my opinion. From someone who is extremely happy with his stand alone blu ray player but can also look at the big picture.
I’ve learned my lesson well. I bought a Toshiba HD DVD player and about 15 to 20 HD DVDs. Not compatible with BluRay.
Never again would I spend that kind of money. When the Bluray comes down to $29.95 then yeah I may jump but why bother. With HD broadcast on so many tv channels now and pay for views and on demand it doesn’t seem so important to have recorded media filling up the shelves.
ChadLV,
While you make some good points, I’d have to disagree with a couple. Firstly that “The dvd format was an easy upgrade for people. All we had to do was plug in the player where our vcr once was. It was very easy to upgrade. The price overall wasnt too drastic.” That’s a common misconception apparently held by many, that we suddenly switched off our VCRs, threw away our clunky tapes, plugged in DVD players and grabbed a pile of lovely shiny disks. What those of us who went through that transition remember is that many people’s TVs only had composite and RF connections, that we couldn’t just “plug in the player where our vcr once was” as we still needed that VCR to play our tapes, and record our TV programs, and that 3 years into DVD’s lifetime entry-level players still cost a fairly “drastic” (particulary taking inflation into account) $300-$400 apiece, with movies costing upwards of $25. To finally put that “DVD had it so easy” thing to bed, DVD didn’t truly supplant VHS until around 2003, and the last major studios didn’t stop releasing on VHS until 2005. Conversly, you really CAN unplug your DVD player (though not recorder) and plug in a Blu Ray player and be off and running with both formats. Simple.
Secondly, onto your contention that downloads are easy and cheap. Virtually anyone is capable of plugging in a VCR, DVD or Blu Ray player, but connecting up a PC to a WiFi or wired network and linking it to a PC is orders of magnitude more complicated. A dedicated download STB like Roku or Vudu may be somewhat easier, but falls on the wrong side of your “Most people wouldnt justify paying a 200 dollar price tag for something they arent too familiar with”. As to movie price, how exactly are your HD download rentals and purchases cheaper than DVD or Blu Ray? There’s little to no difference in SD rentals or purchases, and about $5 difference between a HDX Vudu purchase and a Blu Ray disk, which includes all the extras.
Download afficionados always seem to ignore the fact that there is no such thing as a “download movie distribution format”, at least when it comes to legal downloads. What they’re actually doing is subscribing to one (or more) download services which likely use a proprietary incompatible format, give them few (if any) rights to their purchases, and (if recent history is anything to go by) may go belly up, denying them access to those purchases.
Let’s just face it, downloads WILL become more popular – eventually someone WILL get it right and they’ll make it into the mainstream. But until then, download proponents need a reality check. Until there’s an across-the-board standard for downloads that ensures access to content, via a set-top-box that average consumers like my parents and colleagues can “plug in and go”, downloads will struggle to be anything but the niche-of-niche rental solution that they are now.
You said that easier/cheaper methods are what the mass-market wants. Actually, what the average consumer wants is easier, cheaper, and future-secure, methods. And at the moment Blu Ray is well ahead on two of those points, and head-to-head on the third. And that’s why Blu Ray is growing steadily, advertised widely, and talked about frequently, whilst movie downloads are still very much the domain of kids and “geeks” (no offense meant to anyone, I’m sure we’re all geeks here
).
Regards,
Topper
Man you guys are making more comments than I can keep up with on my day off.
Back to Zaki from early this morning, if people can afford to do both, then I’m in the same boat.
I’ve seen Blu-Ray close up, watched some movies, it’s beautiful. If someone buys a player and they have their system setup right, it’s going to be a great purchase for them.
I’ll definitely make a post if I ever decide to jump in on the Blu-Ray boat.
-
Simcoe definitely made some good points about prices at retailers… just look at the ads this coming week at the DVD deals retailers are offering you on Black Friday to GET YOU IN THE STORE.
I do see the studios making a bigger push now (ads on television on HD channels look phenomenal.) It helps that there’s no longer a competing format.
I’m right there with you, I’d love to see BD start to get crazy discounts. This Friday will help, but I don’t think it’ll push enough people over the edge.
-
Dennis there really is not comparison in quality. BD wins hands down.
I like your idea of testing titles on Netflix downloads before diving in for the disc though.
I’m not the biggest rental fan either, I think I commented a little higher up about that.
About the TV shows, that’s a bummer. I see Netflix as more of a partner with BD than a direct competitor. Their download service is like a bonus for customers who are already getting discs in the mail.
-
Chad LV & Topper. I read each of posts but don’t want to get this into novel length by responding to each point.
plus you guys seem to be having a nice back and forth so I’ll let that work.
And yes, I’m a geek, I won’t speak for the rest of us, but yes a guy writing a gadgets and games blog is a geek.
I guess I’ll have to live with that.
- Oh and steve don’t get too discouraged having jumped on the wrong ship… There are plenty of people like you. The biggest problem the industry had with the HD generation was not pooling its resources into one format. That’s why ultimately I don’t think BluRay will become as big as DVD, but the industry is out to make money, so they’ll try to make it happen.
Thanks for commenting guys!
-Matt
I just installed Left 4 Dead. Looking forward to playing that!
As an early adopter for God knows how many years, (Beta, video disc, Laserdisc) I was happy that I picked right this time and went Blu-Ray. I have always chosen the Highest Quality and lost due to the Higher advertising budget. I am very happy that this time I lucked out with Blu. I will be up-grading my Blu-Ray player this year. The intersting thing about this for me is that I will be spending less than half for this new machine than I did for the original…AND less than half for that first DVD player! My investment in Standard DVD’s will not be lost, only enhanced by the state of the art up-conversion. Downloading is not an option for me as the Quality (that word again)is not up to par. I like to be able to buy the disk, either Standard or Blu and have it physically in my collection to enjoy at will. I still buy DVD’s…not every movie needs that edge that High-Def gives. What I find a true waste of money is going out to the theater with a family of four and dropping fifty bucks with popcorn ect, for two hours. All you have to show for it is a torn ticket stub, and the memory of people who have talked all the way thru it.
Give me my Blu-Ray, my big screen, my 7.1 channel room shaking sound. I’ll make my own hot fresh popcorn and return to my comfy recliner! No “shhh” or “down in front” here!
Ed,
I bet you can’t wait until they have simultaneous releases in theater and at home.
I don’t think it will anytime soon, but who knows.
Matt
I’m usually an early adopter, but I’m waiting on Blu-Ray. When Mitsubishi or another manufacturer releases a good 3-D system for under $400 and I can pick up Dial M for Murder in 3d for $25, I’ll take the plunge. Right now, it just seems that the economies of scale have not produced a decent price point for the average consumer. All subjective, of course: I encourage everyone who is interested to purchase one so that production ramps up and the price comes down.
Actually Matt, I do have to admit I really like Our IMAX here, and we go for those “gotta see” releases. Harry Potter usually opens on my wifes birthday. Go figure. I haven’t added “Harry” to my Blu-Ray rack, nope, I want all 7 in a collectors thingie…
TC,
I have the Samsung 120hz DLP 3D 61 inch. As an early adopter with one of my (built myself) puters able to handle the 3D, 1080p stuff, I am holding off a bit, (surprised Matt?) for the LCD glasses to look cooler and to be rechargable or to actually last a whole movie. Buy the way, the 3D system works on just about all of your DVD’s, granted, the “made for 3D” discs look better, but even the converted ones look better than any 3D you have seen anywhere.
Has anyone else seen the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” or “The Polar Express” Blu-Ray 3D Releases? Now THAT is cool!
Ed
You’re right about that IMAX screen Ed, did you check out The Dark Knight? When they used the actual IMAX film in scenes it was amazing to see the full frame.
Did I catch that too you’re a compuiter builder?
Fun stuff.
Yes Matt, We saw “Dark Knight” and were blown away by it. We will see those “special” films that deserve an IMAX showing. Those films usually end up in my collection as Blu’s. We seldom attend a regular showing (well if you count DLP & THX projection regular)…
And yes Matt I have been building my own PC’s for many years. Each person in my family have their own interests, so each computer is custom tailored just for that person. The gamer gets what he needs, the artist/digi-scrapper gets her wishes fulfilled, the College student’s is built for work, not play…Mine, well I get everything! I was amused by your statement that putting a computer together is like logos. That is SO true! My youngest helped and watched me put together one of the last ones I built, and at the ripe old age of 12, I watched him build his all by himself! Several floks were very proud in this house!
Well it’s Tuesday and so I guess you will expect me to rush out for the latest Blu-Ray release, right? Let’s see Tropic Thunder, no way on Blu-Ray…What about Hancock…
Ed
Building PCs is great, specifically because you can pour the EXACT amount of money into a specific component that you want to.
It’s actually been sometime since I’ve built my last rig, I’ve been holding off for StarCraft 2 before I build. (Even though I don’t believe that will be a very demanding game.)
I first started building with my Dad back when you could over clock the Intel Celeron 300’s to 450.
-Matt
I fried my share of CPU’s in my day. But my day started in the Air Force when computers still had tubes! Then Atari’s 400s 800s 1040s. No wonder I am so tired…I’m OLD!
ED, MATT-
I read on a Warner Bros. press release that:
“The Dark Knight Blu-ray disc takes advantage of the marriage of IMAX® and 35mm formats by using the hybrid master to replicate the unique theatrical experience.”
What does that mean? It means for the film transfer to Blu-ray, the scenes filmed in IMAX will be transfered to Blu-ray, instead of from the 35mm film!
Simcoe.
I can hardly wait…Hey Matt, Wanna come over and see this all working together?
You keep mentioning the high price of BD vs DVD. Have you looked back at the launch of DVD? I got in early on that tech, too, and it was SO high priced at the start. $20-$30 for a DVD, when you could have a VHS for $5-$10. But the DVD seems to have done OK
My big problem right now with digital downloads is longevity. I have lost 2 500GB Maxtor SATA drives in the last year. They held my 3000+ song iTunes library, ripped DVDs, etc. What happens when my $15 digital download gets fried along with the drive? Do I back it up to DVD? The convenience of the digital download seems lost to me, if I need to always back it up to disc. I will leave DRM to another discussion…
Anyway, happy to be a Blu-Ray/PS3 owner, and have definitely embraced the media streaming abilities of that system. Great addition to my living room.
Bye.
Jay
Ed, Definitely send me some pics of the setup, matt.schuler@woodtv.com. I’ll post them on my blog when I do a computer builder piece.
Jay, I’m sure that the PS3 is a great addition to your living room, it would be to any living room. I just want it to have the longevity that VHS/DVD has seen, and I’m not 100% confident that it will, so I’m waiting for a bit.
-Matt
Matt,
You have the same reservations about Blu-Ray as I did. I went ahead and took the dive today and finally made a purchase. I got the Sony S-350 player for under $200 which features the online connectivity and thus access to updates that I absolutely required with my purchase.
The reason I finally did it? I was at Best Buy today and bought a slew of titles for ~$17 each, some for even less than that. I didn’t even consider Blu-Ray to be an option until I saw these sub-$20 prices for a lot of the movies I enjoy. And I don’t intend to ever purchase a new BD movie at $30. Now it is true that most of the titles I bought are not new releases, but many of them are relatively new (within the past 1 or 2 years) and they’re movies I enjoy. So I decided what the heck. (movies I bought were: 300, Transformers, I Am Legend, The Departed, Cloverfield, Superbad, Oceans 11-13, and Die Hard 1-4)
I do think that Blu-Ray will have the longevity of past formats. It is true that direct downloads pose the greatest threat, but there will always be a physical format in existence. Even today CDs are going somewhat strong and they will surely be the last physical format for music. I think similarly that BD will be the last physical format for movies. And because of this, all movies will be released on BD just as all music (or 99.9% of it anyways) is still released in CD form. Plus, a 1080p-quality movie is a pretty hefty file size. Once we start seeing fiber lines all the way into peoples’ homes I think BD will start to erode from existence. But that is a long time off.
Now that the BD vs. HD-DVD war is settled and all the studios are behind BD, I think we are safe in making the purchase. Everyone simply has to decide individually at what price point to enter for their own desires and monetary situation.
Aaron,
I saw that same Sony player, it was a tempting deal. Ultimately I did NOT take the plunge today. A nice selection of movies you picked up, especially the Die Hards.
I see what you’re saying about CDs vs BDs, there’s a good chance that could happen.
I’m definitely glad the BD/HDDVD war is over, that was killing both formats.
-Matt