damonrpayne Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 I was hoping the next DVD player I bought would be a BluRay for my new home theater. I would think if they were going to be widely available right now there would be more information on specific models out there right now. Does anyone know any specific availability info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 here ya go! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5765829081&category=39817 only $2498!!!! unfortunately there are no blu-ray discs yet available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scp53 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Are the first ones going to be real affordable? like <$500? Not like it matters to me because I just have a basic CRT. no hd tv yet. scp53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 i read someplace that the first models were going to be around $1000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted April 12, 2005 Author Share Posted April 12, 2005 Yeah minn_male I saw that one on ebay It looks like they may not be released this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 ---------------- On 4/12/2005 3:04:35 PM minn_male42 wrote: i read someplace that the first models were going to be around $1000 ---------------- Pretty typical of new video technology pricing. The first few runs are built like tanks and cost high dollars. Then the big companies start finding ways to cut corners, and get the Chinese labor and parts pool involved, and the prices go down, as does the build quality. First models will be a grand, three years later they'll entry at $200, three more they'll entry at $50. And Joe Sixpack says "I'll wait until they're $50" - not realizing that the one he could have invested in early would last him 10-15 years, instead of 18-24 months... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 ---------------- On 4/12/2005 4:26:39 PM Griffinator wrote: And Joe Sixpack says "I'll wait until they're $50" - not realizing that the one he could have invested in early would last him 10-15 years, instead of 18-24 months... ---------------- I'll say. The Toshiba I bought at BB a couple of years back for $180 sounded like it was grinding coffee when I tried to use it the other night. I'm going to have to educate myself on this new BluRay stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeeguy Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I read somewhere that the HD DVD players would be out by the fourth quarter and the Blue Ray DVD player would be out by the First quarter next year. Toshiba has a HD player starting at 1000 and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 From what I have been hearing...Toshiba's HD DVD is getting the majority of backing from the production studios. They are saying Sony is really having trouble getting support for Blu-Ray DVD. I personally don't think there should be two formats, and feel Sony and Toshiba need to collaborate. Toshiba & Sony have said their players will be backward compatible, so that is a major plus for us who have a monster DVD collection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted April 13, 2005 Author Share Posted April 13, 2005 BluRay seems to be the superior format though. Maybe I can use the Playstation3 as a BluRay player Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 ---------------- On 4/13/2005 2:10:30 PM damonrpayne wrote: BluRay seems to be the superior format though. Maybe I can use the Playstation3 as a BluRay player ---------------- I would agree, but if your product is not supported by studios other than Sony Pictures...it's basically useless. I hope they nip it in the butt though, because I personally support BluRay as well. I guess I just like Sony, so I am bias! Only time will tell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 March 24, 2005 6:25 am ET MacCentral Top Sony exec hints at Blu-ray, HD-DVD detente By Paul Kallender, IDG News Service After more than a year of touting Blu-ray as the best technology to replace DVD for storing high-definition video and winning proponents including Apple, a top executive at Sony Corp., one of Blu-ray's major backers, has opened the door to the possibility of unifying the format with its arch rival, HD-DVD. "Listening to the voice of the consumers, having two rival formats is disappointing and we haven't totally given up on the possibility of integration or compromise," Ryoji Chubachi, Sony's president-elect, said at a news conference Thursday in which he discussed the company's performance and future strategy. The statement may surprise backers of the rival camps, who have assembled consortiums of major electronics companies, disc makers and Hollywood studios to promote the formats in a battle that echoes one fought a quarter of a century ago between Betamax and VHS. HD-DVD backers, which include NEC Corp. and Toshiba Corp., say HD-DVDs can be produced for about the same price as DVDs and are backward-compatible with DVDs and CDs, making the format more convenient for both consumers and the industry. HD-DVD movie titles, PC drives and players are all due out by the end of the year. Sony has steadfastly promoted Blu-ray as a technology that has greater capacity, saying this makes the format more useful because more content can be stored on a disc. The technology also has wider support in the technology industry, although release dates for movie titles have not yet been announced. Chubachi's comments mark the second time that a Sony executive has signalled the possibility of a compromise between the two camps. In January, Ken Kutaragi, executive deputy president of Sony, said a format war was not in the public interest and that Sony had not ruled out the possibility of uniting the formats. As Sony's future president, Chubachi's remarks Tuesday may carry more weight. Currently head of Sony's electronic components and manufacturing businesses, he will replace Kunitake Ando as Sony president on June 22 following the recent shake-up of Sony's top management. That shake-up saw Kutaragi step down from Sony's board, although he still heads its important gaming business. Kutaragi also admitted in January that Sony, by supporting its proprietary audio encoding system and not the widely-supported MP3 format, had lost ground to competitors such as Apple Computer Inc. in the portable music player market, which Sony had once dominated with the Walkman. While Sony's technological and engineering base is sound, the company must ensure that its products are aligned with the wants of consumers, Chubachi said on Tuesday. Sony's engineers have traditionally been regarded within the company as heroes and the creators of new markets, but recently their ideas have not always led to products that matched consumers' needs, he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Not so fast big fella.... I too share the excitement of the potential...but a bit of due dilligence might be in order before hasty assumptions are made... BluRay was the first to be unveiled, but with the format war that looks to be even more substantial then the previous CD & DVD format debate, and with substantial incompatibilites of Blu-Ray with exisitng technologies, And the lining up of the industry superpowers, I might suggest that you venture into the early adopter mode with caution! Especially concerning that so many seem to want to use this new format for archiving multimedia material as opposed to 'pure' data. Right now I dare say we have our hands full just trying to dupe current encoded CD and DVD sources. And the industry backers of both the source material and of the recorders (often the same! ie Sony!), not to mention the forthcoming digital rights management broadcast flags, etc, etc, etc. may render your overpriced (for a while!) unit as a very exotic computer backup device. And I would suggest that existing technology can more inexpensively and more conveniently archive most of what you already possess that would benefit from archiving. The potential of these devices is indeed fascinating and progressing far slower then I had hoped. But the industry is also cognizant of their own investments in exisitng technology as well! And to think that they don't make their marketing decisions based solely on what the geeks want! Go figure!? Unfortunately it is often all to easy to recognize the pioneer early adopters! They are the ones with the arrows in the @ss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Thomson to support both HD-DVD, Blu-ray Disc formats Spencer Chin EE Times (12/10/2004 9:07 AM EST) MANHASSET, N.Y. Thomson announced Friday (Dec. 10) that it would manufacture both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs through its Technicolor business and provide consumer HD DVD players through its own name and RCA brands. By supporting HD DVD, Thomson joins a number of consumer electronics, information technology and content companies that will comply with the format, the latest being Hollywood studios Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Studios. Thomson expects to launch HD DVD discs and players in late 2005. Thomson, which is also a founding member of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), will continue to participate and support the development and production of the Blu-ray Disc format. The BDA has over 70 member companies, the latest being The Walt Disney Company, which announced its support for Blu-ray Disc earlier this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Next-generation DVD formats rally support Published: January 6, 2005, 8:10 PM PST By Richard Shim Staff Writer, CNET News.com TrackBack Print E-mail TalkBack LAS VEGAS--The battle over next-generation DVD formats heated up late Thursday as groups supporting two incompatible and competing technologies introduced new partners and revealed further details of what consumers and manufacturers can expect to see from them in the coming year. Groups representing the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD--both of which are blue laser formats aiming to become the technology to replace DVD--made their announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show here. Both formats offer storage capacities of about 10 times what the DVD format can hold. A DVD disc can store about 4.7GB of data on a single side, while Blu-ray Disc can hold up to 50GB and HD DVD can hold 30GB. The Blu-ray Disc Association introduced game publishers Electronics Arts and Vivendi Universal Games, along with tech companies Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments, as the newest members of their group. The companies will support the development, promotion and marketing of the Blu-ray Disc format. Executive from the game publishers noted that the high storage capacity of Blu-ray Disc was important for them as they look to high-definition game development. "Gaming is a multibillion-dollar business that is largely being ignored by HD DVD," said Richard Doherty, director of professional AV for Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory. Blu-ray Disc supporters plan to include interactive features and game capabilities to discs that hold high-definition movies. Blu-ray recorders and discs are expected in early 2006. Other companies in the Blu-ray Disc Association include Sony, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, among others. Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo are among the leading electronics makers backing the HD DVD format. Toshiba said at CES earlier this week that HD DVD recorders and notebook drives would be available in the fourth quarter. HD DVD entertainment partners stood up to support the HD DVD format Thursday and announced movie and TV series titles that would be available on HD DVD discs by the end of the year. Paramount Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, HBO and New Line Cinema said that about 100 titles, including the "Harry Potter" movies, the "Batman," "Superman," "E.R.," "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos" franchises, would be available on HD DVD discs. "The real-world benefits (of HD DVD) are apparent and obvious," said Jim Cardwell, president of Warner Home Video. Cardwell added that rapid time-to-market and dependability were significant factors in choosing to go with HD DVD. HD DVD is based on technology similar to that of DVD, which can reduce the time and cost of manufacturing discs and recorders, according to HD DVD supporters. Studio supporters of Blu-ray Disc include Walt Disney Pictures and Television and the entertainment properties of Sony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I wrote the above before the last post! But I suspect the post regarding a compromise might be amiss! As that would indicate a bit of sanity coming remarkable close to making sense! And everyone knows that accorfint to the laws of the universe, that that is strictly forbidden! It would be a wonderful day if such a compromise could be achieved! That is precisely the issue that must be addressed! And Sony recently hiring an American as President may have been just the infusion of the willingness to try some new thinking that was needed. Cross your fingers!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Sorry - Somny hired Howard Stringer, an American, as CEO, not President Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz1604 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 ---------------- On 4/13/2005 3:02:16 PM dragonfyr wrote: I wrote the above before the last post! But I suspect the post regarding a compromise might be amiss! As that would indicate a bit of sanity coming remarkable close to making sense! And everyone knows that accorfint to the laws of the universe, that that is strictly forbidden! It would be a wonderful day if such a compromise could be achieved! That is precisely the issue that must be addressed! And Sony recently hiring an American as President may have been just the infusion of the willingness to try some new thinking that was needed. Cross your fingers!!!!! ---------------- I am all for a collaboration too...honestly as long as I can watch movies in HD, it doesn't matter what format it is. I just think from a consumer stand point, 1 format is ideal. I am very excited for what the future has in store for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 And just who/what is Somny!? Sony! sorry folks...my bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Ok, I've read quite a bit about these formats, and I have to maintain that Blu-Ray is easily the superior format for consumers. With the smaller disk space of HD-DVD, we may not always get the special features in Hi-def, or if they are there will be less rom for them than on Blu-ray disks. Also, Blu-Ray is more scalable (to at least four-layer 100gb disks apparently) which better future proofs them in terms of larger/more content delivery. These larger multi-layer disks would alos let, for example, Fox release the entire Simpson's archive on a single Blu-ray disk. The real appeal of HD-DVD is not to consumers but to the movie studios, because a) they can cheaply convert existing dvd plants into HD-DVD manufacturing plants, and HD-DVD is supported by the DVD consortium, a group they feel very comfortable with (as opposed to Sony, who of course owns a few studios...other studios fear Sony will become too powerful). Sony has already announced they will eat the initial costs to make sure Blu-ray disks don't cost more than HD-DVD disks on the consumer end, and both disks have anounced that a DVD layer can be put on top, so that the disks are backwards compatible (though not in HD, obviously) with traditional dvd players. So near as I can tell there isn't a single consumer advantage to HD-DVD. Instead the question appears to be: will studio greed and corporate politics rob us of a superior format? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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