Gizmodo
By now you know waaaaay too much about Toshiba's format-war surrender, the death of HD DVD at the hands of the larger Blu-ray armada. You may even be eying the Blu-ray players mounted proudly in point-of-sale displays at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Pricing hasn't come down to HD DVD player levels—and with those sinking even further, it's unlikely they ever will—but the need to get in on the action might provoke you to spend some extra dimes. All we're saying is DON'T! Not yet. If you don't know why, let us explain.
We're not going to tell you that HD DVD will somehow come back from the grave to eat Blu-ray's brains or anything Romero-esque like that. Even China's CH-DVD—an easily mass-produced sibling to HD DVD—once a looming HD DVD mercenary force on the horizon, now seems to serve the opposite purpose. By keeping Chinese firms busy with something other than Blu-ray, Hollywood's movie content may be kept safe from piracy, and big electronics brands may be able to hold onto their profit margins—at least for a short while.
No, the earth is Blu, and we are at least grateful for having a winner. Now begins a different kind of shakeup, where once friendly compadres like Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic start to lock horns with one another. This will bring multiple benefits, but here's what all parties involved need to accomplish:
1. Get the Spec In Order
Now that Blu-ray is fully in the spotlight, it's got to get its act together spec-wise. You may recall that we lambasted many Blu-ray supporters for only building 1.0 spec players, including the $1000+ home-theater flagships from Sony and Pioneer. Except for Panasonic's DMP-BD30 and the PlayStation 3 with up-to-date firmware, no current Blu-ray player can even handle the 1.1 spec with picture-in-picture, already appearing in certain Blu-ray discs (and quite the handful of HD DVD titles—but we'll get to that).
The place to be is spec 2.0, referred to as "full profile." Suddenly, it's Sony who is looking the best here, with not only the amazingly upgradable PS3 but two new players announced this week, the BDP-S350 and S550. For $400 and $500 respectively, they are set to deliver all of the features promised in the Blu-ray palette, including both picture-in-picture and BD-Live internet connectivity (with USB storage for downloaded content). Nobody else, with the possible exception of Daewoo, has even muttered about a 2.0 spec player.
Samsung's BD-UP5000 dual-format player is purportedly compatible with 1.1, but besides the fact that it's pricey even at $550 and requires a firmware update for full compatibility, it'll soon be discontinued. Given our initial experience with it, we say that it's best to wait and see what its successor, the BD-UP5500, can do. Heck, dual-format playback may not be all that necessary for long. But that brings us to another reason why you should wait...
2. Finalize the Video Library
We only need dual-format players as long as the library is split down HD DVD and Blu-ray lines. We are waiting for Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks to jump to Blu, and even once they do, it's not a certainty that they can simply re-release everything currently out on HD DVD. Universal claims 150 titles—surely the Bournes will go Blu as soon as Uni does, but how long do I have to wait for a Blu-ray of The Big Lebowski? Hell, it's almost worth scooping up an ultracheap HD DVD player now just to enjoy that one movie alone, 47 or 48 times in a row. At any rate, some speculation suggests that the remaining HD DVD studios may not even come around until summer or fall, depending on weird smoke-filled-backroom negotiations with Toshiba.
Even when all the studios are on the Blu-ray tip, though, a new problem begins to surface: second-edition releases of movies already on Blu-ray. Think about it: a handful of big Warner titles like 300 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out with more deluxe HD DVD versions which include picture-in-picture and certain online capabilities. Who's to say Warner won't re-release their 300 and Harry Potter Blu-ray discs with the same compelling extras, now that it's feasible on the Blu-ray platform? Warner is easy to single out because we have that comparison, but who's to say that half of the blockbuster movies out on Blu-ray now won't get a re-release with more interactive content when the spec 2.0 players saturate the market?
3. Bring On the Old-Fashioned Electronics Store Competition
Sony's more affordable new Blu-ray player will hit the market this summer for $400. Nothing built by Sony or anyone else should be considered before then, the one exception being the PS3. But even the Sony standalone at $400 is expensive, especially for a player whose capabilities are more or less the same as Toshiba's HD-A30 HD DVD player, now (in a price nose dive) selling for around $130. Only when Panasonic, Samsung and LG announce their own Blu-ray 2.0 players, will true competition finally exist. (Pioneer will launch a 2.0 player too, but it probably won't get involved in a price war.) It surely wouldn't be long after that that we see a full-spec Blu-ray player for $200 or maybe even less. Our bet is Christmas, since Sony doesn't seem like it will have anything on the market until "summer" and no one else is talking about their next Blu play.
There you have it, the three big reasons why you need to hold off on buying a standalone Blu-ray player, and amassing a library of Blu-ray to rival your intimidating DVD collection. Don't worry though. Your patience will have its rewards. And Christmas will be here again before you know it.
[Blu-ray on Giz; image source for "halt" parody graphic]
Comments
With the current price/performance of standalone players, as well as the entire spec mess, it makes almost no sense at all to get anything but a PS3 if you are in the market for a Blu-ray player.
That way, you get the player, a media extender, and... a PS3. Which can do all kinds of other things, like games.
Or we all could just wait for Blu Ray players to cost $50.
Here's my big question. I've got a media center, so I'm just going to buy an internal Blu-Ray burner. Currently you can get a 2x Lite-On burner for $350. However, I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I am wondering if it's going to play all Blu-Ray discs.
If it's an internal computer drive am I safe in the fact that I'll only need to update my software or should I continue to wait?
Is Sony going to pull some bullshit DRM crap on me and disable discs, so I can't play movies on my computer like they have with their music and some DVDs?
@ianmac47: By then, Holographic cubes will be the new format, and you will be stuck with DVD's, HD or otherwise.
The author should have brought up the issues the PS3 has with DTS-HD (MA and HR), as well as the fact that it can't even output raw TrueHD or DD+. There's also no guarantee of profile 2.0 support on it, although I would admit it's likely given the hardware.
Like the article says, wait for the BDP-S350 and BDP-S5500 (or possibly the Samsung BD-UP5500) if you want a stand-alone player,
Or you could just download your HD content now...
How many people really watch extras? I've got north of 300 DVDs at this point and have only watched the extras on maybe 50. At this point, it takes something on par with the 4 disc LOTR cut or a Criterion version to even get me remotely interested in extras.
or for Blu Ray to drop the BD+ crap.
I think using the Firmware Picture in Picture as a reason is horrible. I still have no clue who uses Picture in Picture. I think I saw it once used in the early 90's by someone who loved bragging about their 50 inch tv they had. Other than that, I have never even heard of one individual using Picture in Picture.
Either way, the only reasonable reason to wait for a Blu-ray player would be price.
@MagnoliaBoy: let me know how that 720p picture is compared to the 1080p we'll be buying on disc.
Some of the points made about blu-ray are rather outdated. Please do a little more research before writing an article like this... it only confuses the consumer even more.
The spec has already been finalized and Sony is launching BD-live players.
@MagnoliaBoy: We'll talk at length about HD content soon. Before then, just remember that the same people who want to sell Blu-ray discs own the rights to HD movie streams. Do you think for an instant they're going to open the online floodgates? And even if they did, the bandwidth isn't near ready for the quality demands.
@domerdel: Your comment makes me think you didn't read the piece. Be careful, because we punish 'tardy commenters around these parts.
I don't want to DL anything "HD" .. Because its not even close to HD ...
@jetexas: To play the BD on your Media center you will need a HDMI compatible graphics card and a digital only connection to the TV. You will probably have to use the included BD player software that uses that BD+ junk.
Incredibly useful post, Wilson. Thanks.
Good points, glad I picked up a PS3, but I only have the 5 free movies that came with it (and those aren't even to in from the mail yet)
I won't plan on buying a bunch of titles yet, but will continue to enjoy the Netflix subscription I am pleased to have. Hell maybe this time I can just NOT buy all those damn movies I bought and watched once. hmmm maybe I will go on an eBay rampage and sell off all my DVDs too. Use the money for real entertainment like games. thoughts to ponder...might just say screw it all and craigslist it or pawn em all. =(
bored to hell here on Thursday...back to work.
I've been waiting for the S350 or 45nm PS3s since both were announced as coming eventually. Can't wait. Altho, quite honestly, most people don't give a rats ass about things like picture in picture commentary.
I like downloads better.
Wake me when I can get HD-DVDs for $5 a piece.
@jetexas: If you don't really need a burner, this looks pretty good. I'm probably going to pick one up any minute now.
@Seiven: Just a friendly tip, keep up with the forum posts at the bottom right of Blu-ray.com and youll see when there are Amazon (Buy 1 get 1 free) deals. That makes each movie cost around $11 to $13. Pretty good tip when buying blu-ray.
I think it will be even longer than this x-mas before prices drop on blu-ray players. I'm pretty sure Sony knows people are chomping at the bit to pick up a PS3 right know because it's the cheapest, most upgradeable player on the market. So if they keep pumping out $500-600 players, the $400 PS3 will seem like a bargain at that price. If there was a sudden drop in PS3 sales, maybe then they would try to counter with low prices on standalone players.
R.I.P HD-DVD
If you don't have problem spending $400 on a player, just get the PS3. The DTS HD audio is an issue, but not a huge one. Most people don't even have systems capable of playing that audio.
You'd have to have an $8-900 receiver that is capable of getting audio over HDMI to even consider the issue. The same thing with the DD+ or TrueHD. And then there is the fact that if there is any audio mixing going on (say overlaying a commentary track or pop up video sound effects or whatever) it'll only be exported in PCM anyway.
If you want to watch HD movies on disc, get a 1.1 capable player (PS3 or whatever) and you'll be fine. If you want to be sure it'll do BD Live or whatever (which I don't know why most people would care or want) get the PS3. Otherwise you can get one now and then get a BD Live capable box in another year and a half for probably $150.
Don't let all this talk of 'unfinished spec' stuff convince you that watching 1080p HD right now isn't freaking sweet. It is. And unless you absolutely have to have all of the internet features that may start being used in discs, you're not even going to care.
2009 should have some nicely-priced players, hopefully all profile 2.0. DVD with component and 1080i VOD will keep me steady until then.
I've started building out a BR collection and I use a PS3 for playback. Why not just state why it's best to buy a PS3 at this point and be done with it? We don't need any more FUD surrounding the adoption of HD DVD -- it's way overdue as it is. (and note the lack of hyphen - I refer to the switch to hi-def DVD playback of any format).
...So the moral of this article is to buy a PS3? =D
Standard DVD FTW
That is an odd picture for this story. What does this have to do with some guy playing paintball?
All excellent reasons why HD-DVD should have been the winner for consumers. Finalized spec, cheaper players .. .I still don't know why stupid people were cheer leading for BluRay to win. Now It will be at least another year before prices are reasonable for HD. Hopefully by then we will have some decent online distribution and we can forget about this nonsense.
Too many "straw man" arguments, Wilson. And I'm not really saying these are not valid opinions; but the quality you can get from a hi-def disc is too good to pass up just to wait around for the "right" time to buy. Given that HD DVD would be a dumb buy, Blu-ray is the only alternative. I might wait on a $300 Blu-ray player if I make $50K/year and have a 32" LCD. But if I make $200K/year and have a 65" plasma, all these caveat emptors fall on deaf ears. What?
Phew. I thought this was going to be another "DONT BUY BLU-RAY, DOWNLOADABLE MOVIES IS THE WINNAR!!!1!1" articles.
Thanks for the common sense tips. Some of us do appreciate it.
All I want is to be able to play high-resolution movies. I couldn't care less about all the "extras," in fact I'd rather not have them there at all. Also like was mentioned, I have yet to see picture-in-picture ever used, even on capable TV's. And if I want online connectivity, I'll just get on *gasp* my computer! Or even a media center computer that costs less than a friggin Blu-ray player! All of this, in combination with my extreme dislike for Sony, will probably prevent me from buying a Blu-ray player for a long time.
HA!! Weak. Looks like a giant tabloid headline.
Might as well replace it with something completely ridiculous... like.... oh....
"BLU-RAY FOUND GUILTY OF EATING BABY DINOSAURS!!!"
Tech news must be really slow today.
I still think it makes sense to snag a dirt cheap HD-DVD player until BR prices come down a bit (or, in my case, until the MGS4 PS3 bundle comes out!). Just be cause it's declared dead doesn't make it useless, especially considering the point regarding The Big Lebowski (and a bunch of other movies)!
I will continue to use an up-convert DVD player/ripped content + AppleTV. I'll know it's time to switch formats once DVD becomes the new VHS. Which I feel is a long, long time from now.
"Nothing built by Sony or anyone else should be considered before then, the one exception being the PS3. But even the Sony standalone at $400 is expensive, especially for a player whose capabilities are more or less the same as Toshiba's HD-A30 HD DVD playe"
But - you miss one key thing about the PS3 - it also plays video games_ So for yore money yore getting a Blu-Ray Player AND a Video Game Console_
let's not with-hold the full info to the readers now Giz - as I am sure there are still many folks out there who do not know what a PS3 is or what is can or can not do_
I like my regular DVD player. It plays the movies that netflix sends me. I love movies in the theater, but when I watch at home I have never thought to myself, 'I would be happier if only I could really see the pores in that actors face'. And if Hi-def brings the crap pixelated text on the screen like digital movie theater projection does, I'll pass and just break out my comic book collection.
*Let's not with-hold the full info to the readers now Giz - as I am sure there are still many folks out there who do not know what a PS3 is or what it can or can not do_
I for one am real glad that I kept my PS3.
I totally agree with holding off. Xbox Live Video Marketplace is my new friend. I've watched episodeds of Lost, The Assasination of Jesse James and Michael Clayton recently all in HD!
I will be satisfied in holding off getting Blu-Ray until the prices come waaaaaayyyyyy down on Spec 2.0 players.
It's sad really. Everyon is finally realizing how crappy Blu-Ray has been for these reasons. Oh I lament the loss of HD-DVD. RIP.
@itchytooth: I just figured if I was going to invest, being able to back things up to BR would be a lot nicer than having to back up onto 10 DVDs at a time.
That is a good deal though. I might order one this weekend.
On a personal note - I have every intention of buying a PS3 at some point before they stop selling them_ I have a small DVD collection and an even larger VHS collection [that by the by - I'm trying to figuer out how to dump on some poor soul]_
But even still I am probably buying the PS3 more for the gaming aspect rather than the Blu-Ray experience_ And now with many of the major online resellers making available a download version of said movies - I'm thinking that this whole "new format" war propoganda is merely a last ditch effort on the part of the makers to cash in before we [the consumer] migrate to the way of the Apple TV and TiVo_
As I am personally really likinig the idea of having a hard Drive full of titles [or several with wireless networking] and having even more instant access than taking the time to walk over to the "Disc" collection and un-casing a disc and having to put it into the player and loading the movie.....
All I have to do is switch the channel on the TV and press play on the Apple TV_ Nice_
@CarbonatedWater: I like the convenience of downloads, but my rentals on iTunes have been grainy as hell. Maybe the upcoming HD Apple TV stuff looks better, but after being so disappointed in the picture quality of the SD iTunes stuff, it's hard to get excited.
@ianmac47: Enjoy your blu-ray player when you get it 2012 :P
Giz, just pick up a PS3 and STFU. Your continued lambasting of Blu-ray and all things Sony is incredibly childish and pathetic. Grow up already.
Big Lebowski??? is that great f a movie....
@imTheKing: thanks for the heads up =)
So, buy a PS3.. why don't you just say that?
@TheFaze: TFSU!
@TheFaze: what a baby...
@scarbrtj: Just to let you know, dude, there are WAY more of us in the former group than the latter. For us, this is a useful article.
Some of us need to be smart with our money.
@TheFaze: Looks like someone is asking Santy Claus for a ban hammer this Christmas.
Survey says?...